The Floating Restroom Grants program, managed by California’s Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Clean Vessel Act program, provides funding for floating restrooms on lakes and reservoirs to help prevent pollution from vessel sewage discharges. This initiative is aimed at maintaining clean and safe recreational boating areas in California.
The 2024-25 grant cycle is open from October 15, 2024, until 5 p.m. on November 18, 2024. These grants support the procurement, delivery, and maintenance of ADA-accessible floating restrooms designed by DBW. The program, which began with the Clean Vessel Act in 1992, is funded by the Sport Fish Restoration Program and requires a 25% federal match, which is provided by the state’s Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund.
There are two grant options:
Floating Restroom Grant: Provides floating restrooms to be deployed on lakes and reservoirs open to the public.
Operation & Maintenance Grant: Helps offset the costs of operating and maintaining floating restroom units.
To be eligible, applicants must be government entities that operate public lakes and reservoirs. Recipients are required to maintain and operate the restrooms for a period of 10 years, and no fees may be charged for their use. Grantees must also install signage acknowledging that the facility was funded by the Sport Fish Restoration Program.
Applications must be submitted through DBW’s online grant application system (OLGA) by the deadline, and interested applicants are encouraged to watch the OLGA Instructional Webinar for guidance. For further assistance, applicants can contact Ethan Tratner at ethan.tratner@parks.ca.gov or (916) 902-8823.
