News, In this issue, Issue 17/2023

My Water 2023 Program. Call for applications is underway

Posted on 24 August 202324 August 2023 by Aneta Błędowska

24
Aug

The third edition of the “My Water” program has been launched. Single-family homeowners can receive up to 6,000. PLN subsidies for the construction of household rainwater retention systems. The program primarily aims to help mitigate the effects of the drought. Individual Provincial Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management (WFOŚiGW) are accepting applications until the end of June 2024. Or until funds are exhausted.

My Water priority program for 2020-2024

The National Environmental Protection and Water Management Fund has announced a call for applications for the third edition of the “My Water” program, which can be submitted from August 3, 2023. Through June 30, 2024. or until funds are exhausted, as will be announced on the beneficiary portal. The disbursement of subsidies by individual WFOŚiGW is to take place until December 31, 2024.

The program is aimed at individuals who are owners, co-owners or perpetual usufructuaries of real estate on which a single-family residential building is located, excluding properties for which funding has already been provided under the “My Water” program. The subsidy also applies to owners, co-owners and perpetual users of real estate on which construction of a single-family residential building is planned or has already begun. These investments, before submitting documents for disbursement, must be put into lawful use by obtaining an authorizing decision or by validating the notification.

“My Water,” a program to help minimize the drought in Poland

The strategic goal of the “My Water” program is to raise the level of protection against the effects of climate change and natural hazards. The program is also expected to help increase water conservation and minimize the phenomenon of drought in Poland through increased retention on properties with single-family dwellings, including the collection and use of rainwater or snowmelt. Key to this is the development of green-blue infrastructure.

The government program aims to build 67,600. Domestic retention systems and the management of rainwater and snowmelt in the amount of 3.38 million^m3 per year.

The “My Water” program is getting a lot of attention

According to a press release obtained from WFOSiGW, the Silesian province has already submitted applications for more than PLN 10 million.

Since the launch of the third edition of the “My Water” program, our Fund has received more than 2,000. Applications for a total amount of more than PLN 10 million. This shows how great the interest is and that the program is a proverbial hit, responding to the needs of residents. The call is still open, applications can be submit all the time, but if the pool of funds earmarked for the program is exhausted, the call will have to be closed before the scheduled date – as in previous editions. But we will definitely inform our beneficiaries about it – says Tomasz Bednarek, president of the Regional Environmental Protection and Water Management Fund in Katowice.

Previous editions of the “My Water” program were equally popular, according to a May 24, 2023 status update on the priority program. shows that nearly 25,000 were submitted during the first edition of the program. Applications, and in the second more than 28,500. The total amount of subsidies was more than PLN 115 million the first time, and PLN 136 million the second time. Calls for proposals were conducted until funds were exhausted.

Scope of financing and eligible costs

The program’s budget for 2020-2024 is PLN 338 million.

Subsidies can be received for up to 80% of the eligible costs of the installations included in the investment, but no more than 6 thousand. PLN per project. The condition for receiving a grant is a minimum task cost of 2 thousand. PLN, and the minimum total capacity of the tank(s) is 2^m3.

Funding will be provided for the purchase, supply, installation, construction, expansion and commissioning of installations for:

1. collection of rainwater or snowmelt from impervious surfaces of the property, i.e. from roofs, sidewalks, driveways (e.g., catch basins, gutter drains, linear drainage, rainwater pipes without gutters and downpipes);

2. storage of rainwater in tanks (e.g., sealed underground and aboveground tanks) with a total capacity of at least 2^m3;

3. retention of rainwater, including snowmelt in the ground (e.g., unsealing of impervious surfaces, absorption wells, drainage, infiltration boxes, open tanks);

4. retention of rainwater, including snowmelt on roofs – “green roofs” (drainage layer) without the cost of plantings;

5. use of retained rainwater or snowmelt (e.g., pumps, filters, pipes, sprinklers, controllers, water distribution centers, other installations that allow the use of water from the existing/newly constructed reservoir within the framework of the project).

Expenditures for the purchase and installation of components and adaptation of existing installations that will be a permanent part of the system that will allow rainwater or snowmelt to be retained on the property and/or used for household and home gardens should be accepted as eligible.