The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has issued new guidance for States to use when applying for financing from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The new guidance highlights recent changes made to the DWSRF as a result of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018:
*Increases the amount of additional subsidy available to disadvantaged communities;
*Expands eligible uses of the DWSRF set-asides to include source water protection activities and source water assessments;
*Extends the American Iron and Steel provision for DWSRF-funded projects through Federal fiscal year 2023; and
*Increases the maximum-authorized DWSRF loan term up to 30 years for any DWSRF-eligible community or up to 40 years for State-defined disadvantaged community.
A critical component of maintaining and repairing aging water infrastructure is properly managing assets such as tanks, pipes and pumps. Through planning and conducting inventories, systems can maximize their infrastructure investments while minimizing the total cost of owning and operating them. To support this work, USEPA has also released an updated State Asset Management Initiatives document.
To access additional information about DWSRF, visit the following USEPA links: https://www.epa.gov/drinkingwatersrf and https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity.