MN HF819

Reorganizes Public Facilities Authority grant programs for wastewater treatment and storm water projects, changing language from "must make" to "shall award" grants up to $3,000,000 for projects addressing wasteload reductions, phosphorus limits of 1 milligram per liter or less, water quality-based effluent limits, or nitrogen limits of 10 milligrams per liter or less.

Removes requirement that projects must be included in a federally-approved total maximum daily load plan, streamlining the grant approval process by reducing prerequisites from five conditions to three (applicant submission of costs, agency approval, and committed financing from other sources).

Increases technical assistance grants for subsurface sewage treatment systems from $10,000 base plus $500 per household (max $40,000) to $20,000 base plus $1,000 per household (max $60,000), and allows county recipients to use funds to pay qualified staff.

Replaces median household income-based grant eligibility with an affordability standard: grants available if estimated average annual residential wastewater system costs would exceed 1.4 percent of median household income, with grant amount up to 80 percent of costs needed to achieve that threshold.

Caps total construction project awards at $2,000,000 and allows Public Facilities Authority to convert existing loans to grants for governmental units that would have met affordability criteria at the time the loan was made; repeals sections 446A.051, subdivision 2 and 446A.074.