Legacy Disposal Site Abatement Partial Grant Program

The Legacy Disposal Site Abatement Partial Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2024–25, administered by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), is part of the Solid Waste Disposal and Co-disposal Site Cleanup Program. This grant opportunity was established under Public Resources Code Section 48020 and is designed to provide financial assistance to public entities to help with the remediation of solid waste disposal sites where responsible parties cannot be identified or are unable or unwilling to cover cleanup costs. The objective of the program is to mitigate threats to public health, safety, and the environment by accelerating the cleanup and restoration of these legacy sites. Eligible applicants for this program include California-based public entities such as counties, cities, state agencies, districts (e.g., school, special, irrigation), and Joint Powers Authorities (JPAs). Entities that are charter cities or include charter cities in a JPA must certify compliance with Labor Code Section 1782 to be eligible. A charter city ineligible under these labor laws will be disqualified, and any grant awarded will be revoked. Joint applications must name the JPA as the lead and list all member jurisdictions, with accompanying documentation. The grant supports projects involving the cleanup of solid waste or co-disposal sites located within the applicant's jurisdiction, where cleanup is necessary to protect health or the environment. Funding is available for a range of eligible activities related to site remediation. Applicants may request up to $750,000 per project, and a total of $1 million is available for the fiscal year. The grant operates on a reimbursement basis and includes a cost recovery policy that may require CalRecycle to seek reimbursement from property owners unless a waiver is approved based on certain hardship or public benefit conditions. The grant application process is conducted via CalRecycle’s web-based Grants Management System (GMS), which requires a CalRecycle WebPass. Applicants must complete various tabs in GMS, including details on budget, contacts, project sites, and supporting documentation. Required documents include a Narrative Proposal, Site Characterization, Work Plan, Budget, Application Certification, and either a Resolution or Letter of Commitment. Optional documents include CalEnviroScreen 4.0 outputs, letters of support, and documentation from Conservation Corps participation. E-signatures must be certified digital signatures or original wet signatures to be accepted. Key dates include the application due date of October 16, 2024, for Cycle 101, and February 12, 2025, for Cycle 103 if funding remains. Secondary due dates for supplemental authorization documents are November 13, 2024, and March 12, 2025, respectively. Grant awards are tentatively scheduled for December 2024 (Cycle 101) and April 2025 (Cycle 103). All grant-funded expenditures must be incurred by June 30, 2027. Program inquiries should be directed to Julian Lopez at CalRecycle via email at Julian.Lopez@calrecycle.ca.gov. Technical assistance is available through CalRecycle’s Grant Assistance team at grantassistance@calrecycle.ca.gov or (916) 341-6228.