Funding for EPA Water Infrastructure:
A Fact Sheet
Claudia Copeland
Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy
February 3, 2015
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R43871
Funding for EPA Water Infrastructure: A Fact Sheet
ederal funding to assist communities with capital projects to meet the water-related goals
and requirements of federal laws has been provided through programs in the Clean Water
F Act (CWA) and also, more recently, through a program in the Safe Drinking Water Act.
This report provides a table showing budget requests and appropriations for the Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) water infrastructure assistance programs under these two laws since
1973.
The Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 (P.L. 80-845) established a grant program to assist
localities with planning and design work and authorized loans for treatment plant construction. In
subsequent amendments, federal assistance increased and a construction grant program replaced
the loan program. In the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (P.L. 92-500,
popularly known as the Clean Water Act), Congress established the first national standards for
sewage treatment and significantly increased federal funding to help communities meet the law’s
standards. The most recent comprehensive CWA amendments were enacted in 1987 (P.L. 100-4).
That legislation authorized $18 billion over nine years for wastewater treatment plant
construction, through a combination of the traditional Title II grant program and a new State
Water Pollution Control Revolving Funds (SRF) program. Under the SRF program, federal
capitalization grants are provided through appropriations as seed money for state-administered
loans to construct sewage treatment plants and other water quality projects. Local communities,
in turn, repay loans to the state, not the federal government. Under the 1987 amendments, the
SRF program was phased in beginning in FY1989 and entirely replaced the previous grant
program in FY1991. (For additional information, see CRS Report 98-323, Wastewater Treatment:
Overview and Background, by Claudia Copeland).
In 1996 Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 104-182) to authorize a drinking
water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program to help systems finance projects needed to
comply with drinking water regulations and to protect public health. (For additional background,
see CRS Report RS22037, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): Program Overview
and Issues, by Mary Tiemann). This program, fashioned after the Clean Water Act SRF,
authorizes EPA to make grants to states to capitalize DWSRFs, which states then use to make
loans to public water systems. The legislation authorized a total of $9.6 billion over 10 years to
assist drinking water projects.
Since 1973, Congress has provided more than $100 billion for the core wastewater and drinking
water infrastructure assistance programs.
The table also shows appropriations for special projects, that is, funds designated in
appropriations legislation for projects in specified communities or locations, often popularly
referred to as “earmarks.” Because some Members of Congress, interest groups, and
Administration officials criticize these types of congressional actions, Congress banned the
practice of congressionally designated special project funds for EPA’s water infrastructure and
other programs in FY2011. Amounts shown in Table 1 for special projects appropriations are
predominantly congressionally directed funds, but they also include amounts requested by the
Administration since the early 1990s for a limited number of special projects (e.g., in certain
coastal communities, for Alaska Native and rural villages, and for U.S.-Mexico Border projects).
(For information, see CRS Report RL32201, Water Infrastructure Projects Designated in EPA
Appropriations: Trends and Policy Implications, by Claudia Copeland).
The President’s FY2016 budget requests $1.116 billion for clean water SRF capitalization grants,
$1.186 billion for drinking water SRF capitalization grants, and $15 million for special projects.
Congressional Research Service
1
Funding for EPA Water Infrastructure: A Fact Sheet
Table 1. President’s Budget Request and Total EPA Water Infrastructure
Appropriations, FY1973-FY2015
(Millions of Dollars Not Adjusted for Inflation)
President’s
Clean Water
Drinking
Fiscal
Total
Appropriations
Water SRF
Special Projects
Total
Year
Request
(Title II and SRF)
Appropriations
Appropriations
Appropriationsa
1973 2,000.0 2,000.0
2,000.0
1974 3,000.0 3,000.0
3,000.0
1975 4,000.0 4,000.0
4,000.0
1976 1,650.0 9,000.0
9,000.0
1977 4,100.0 1,980.0
1,980.0
1978 4,500.0 4,500.0
4,500.0
1979 4,500.0 4,200.0
4,200.0
1980 3,800.0 2,520.0
2,520.0
1981 3,700.0 2,644.0
2,644.0
1982 2,400.0 2,400.0
2,400.0
1983 2,400.0 2,400.0
2,400.0
1984 2,400.0 2,400.0
2,400.0
1985 2,400.0 2,400.0
2,400.0
1986 2,400.0 1,800.0
1,800.0
1987 2,000.0 2,361.0
2,361.0
1988 2,000.0 2,304.0
2,304.0
1989
1,500.0
1,882.0
68.0
1,950.0
1990 1,200.0 1,927.0
53.0
1,980.0
1991 1,599.4 2,048.0
35.7
2,083.7
1992 1,900.0 1,948.5
435.0
2,383.5
1993 2,484.0 1,928.0
556.0
2,484.0
1994 2,047.0 1,218.0
558.0
1,776.0
1995 2,550.0 1,235.2
834.1
2,069.3
1996 2,365.0 2,073.5
306.5
2,380.0
1997 2,178.0 625.0
1,275.0
301.0
2,201.0
1998 2,078.0 1,350.0
725.0
393.1
2,468.1
1999 2,028.0 1,350.0
775.0
401.8
2,526.8
2000 1,753.0 1,345.4
820.0
395.3
2,560.7
2001 1,753.0 1,350.0
825.0
466.4
2,641.4
2002 2,233.0 1,350.0
850.0
458.9
2,658.9
2003 2,185.0 1,341.2
844.5
413.4
2,599.1
2004 1,798.0 1,342.0
845.0
425.1
2,612.1
2005 1,794.0 1,091.2
843.2
401.7
2,336.1
Congressional Research Service
2
Funding for EPA Water Infrastructure: A Fact Sheet
President’s
Clean Water
Drinking
Fiscal
Total
Appropriations
Water SRF
Special Projects
Total
Year
Request
(Title II and SRF)
Appropriations
Appropriations
Appropriationsa
2006 1,649.0 886.8
837.5
280.8
2,005.1
2007 1,569.7 1,083.8
837.5
83.8
2,005.1
2008 1,555.3 689.1
829.0
177.2
1,695.3
2009 1,422.7 4,689.1b 2,829.0c 183.5 7,701.6
2010 3,920.0 2,100.0
1,387.0
186.8
3,673.8
2011 3,307.0 1,522.0
963.1
20.0
2,505.1
2012 2,560.0 1,466.5
917.9
15.0
2,399.4
2013 2,045.0 1,376.1
861.3
14.2
2,251.6
2014 1,927.0 1,448.9
906.9
15.0
2,370.8
2015 1,790.0 1,448.9
906.9
15.0
2,370.8
2016 2,317.0
TOTAL 104,758.1
92,025.2
19,078.8
7,494.2
118,598.3
Source: Compiled by CRS.
Notes: SRF = State Revolving Fund.
a. Total appropriations in FY2000, FY2003, FY2004, FY2005, FY2006, FY2008, FY2011, FY2012, and FY2013
reflect mandatory across-the-board rescissions in appropriations acts. FY2013 appropriations also reflect
effects of sequestration. For information on sequestration, see CRS Report R42972, Sequestration as a
Budget Enforcement Process: Frequently Asked Questions, by Megan S. Lynch.
b. FY2009 appropriation total included $4.0 billion in supplemental funds under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5, ARRA).
c. FY2009 appropriation total included $2.0 billion in supplemental funds under ARRA.
Author Contact Information
Claudia Copeland
Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy
ccopeland@crs.loc.gov, 7-7227
Congressional Research Service
3