Connecting Constituents with Federal Programs for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects
Updated April 26, 2023
Connecting Constituents with Federal Programs for Drinking
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects
Congress has established programs to assist constituents—
https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf/sewer-overflow-and-
including individuals, organizations, and local
stormwater-reuse-municipal-grants-program
governments—with drinking water and wastewater
infrastructure projects. This In Focus includes a list of
Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act
selected federal grant, loan, and other programs that support
The Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act
such projects. The following programs vary in scope and
(WIFIA) provides long-term, low-cost loans for eligible
funding level and are not a comprehensive list of all
water and wastewater infrastructure projects, including
potentially relevant programs for a given project.
those eligible under the SRFs. EPA awards loans directly to
recipients. The minimum project size is $20 million for
Most federal grant funds go to state and local governments,
large communities and $5 million for small communities
which in turn may issue sub-awards to other entities.
(populations of 25,000 or less). CFDA Number 66.958;
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact federal
https://www.epa.gov/wifia
agencies, state agencies, or both, for information on
eligibility, the application process, award cycles, and
Safe Drinking Water Act Programs
funding availability. Each program’s funding availability
The Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged
depends on annual appropriations. Where applicable,
Communities program provides grants to public water
program websites and Catalog of Federal Domestic
systems in underserved, small, and disadvantaged
Assistance (CFDA) numbers are provided herein to assist
communities for projects that help communities meet the
interested applicants with accessing more information about
requirements of the SWDA. Beginning in 2020, EPA
each program. CFDA numbers can be used to search for
dedicated a portion of this funding for projects serving
and identify potential funding opportunities at
American Indian and Alaska Native populations. For prior
https://grants.gov.
years, EPA has allotted the funds among the states to
provide to eligible entities. A recent enactment provided
U.S. EPA Programs
five fiscal years of funding for this grant program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) receives
specifically for projects to address emerging contaminants.
annual appropriations for several drinking water and
https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/wiin-grant-small-
wastewater infrastructure programs.
underserved-and-disadvantaged-communities-grant-
program-0
State Revolving Funds Programs
The State Revolving Funds (SRFs) programs are the
The Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Program makes
principal federal funding programs for municipal water and
grants available to assist disadvantaged communities with
wastewater infrastructure. The SRFs are federal-state
replacing lead service lines and removing potential sources
partnerships wherein EPA provides grants to the states (and
of lead in drinking water. CFDA Number 66.443;
Puerto Rico) to capitalize revolving funds. States then
https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/wiin-grant-reduction-lead-
administer these funds as loans (or additional subsidization,
exposure-drinking-water
such as principal forgiveness, in certain cases) to
community water and wastewater systems and to other
The Lead Testing in School and Child Care Drinking
entities for infrastructure projects and related activities
Water Grant Program provides funding to assist schools
necessary to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act
and childcare programs with testing for lead in drinking
(SDWA) or the Clean Water Act (CWA). From EPA’s SRF
water. Tribal consortia are included among eligible
appropriations, the agency provides funding to the U.S.
applicants. CFDA Number 66.444; https://www.epa.gov/
territories, the District of Columbia, and federally
dwcapacity/wiin-grant-voluntary-school-and-child-care-
recognized tribes for eligible water infrastructure projects,
lead-testing-and-reduction-grant-program
because these entities do not administer SRF programs.
https://www.epa.gov/dwsrf and https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf
Training and Technical Assistance for Small
Systems Funding
Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal
This program funds technical assistance efforts for small
Grants Program
public drinking water and wastewater systems, including
This program provides grant funding to states for projects
training, site visits, and other support. CFDA Numbers
that help communities address combined sewer overflows,
66.436 and 66.424; https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/
sanitary sewer overflows, or stormwater infrastructure,
training-and-technical-assistance-small-systems-funding
among other activities. CFDA Number 66.447;
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Connecting Constituents with Federal Programs for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects
U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant
Water & Waste Disposal Technical Assistance &
Program
Training Grants
This program funds drinking water and wastewater
This program provides grants to qualified nonprofits for
infrastructure projects in both the United States and Mexico
providing technical assistance and training on identifying
that are within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the southern
and evaluating solutions to water and waste problems for
border. Project sponsors can apply to the program through
eligible rural communities. Nonprofits can also use the
the North American Development Bank, which screens for
grants to help eligible rural communities prepare
initial eligibility and prioritizes projects using EPA’s
applications for USDA water and waste disposal loan and
ranking methodologies. CFDA Number 66.202;
grant programs. CDFA Number 10.761
https://www.epa.gov/small-and-rural-wastewater-systems/
us-mexico-border-water-infrastructure-grant-program
Selected Other Federal Programs
USDA Programs
U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic
Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
Development Administration, Public Works
Rural Utilities Service’s Water and Environmental
Program and Economic Adjustment Assistance
Programs, rural communities may be able to obtain
Program
technical assistance, grants, and loans to construct or
These two programs provide grants to distressed
improve their drinking water and wastewater disposal
communities for various types of economic development
systems. More information about each of the USDA
projects, including public works projects, such as water and
programs listed below can be found at
sewer system improvements. CFDA Numbers 11.300,
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-
11.307; https://eda.gov/funding/programs
environmental-programs.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program
Development, Community Development Block
This program provides loans and grants to eligible rural
Grants
communities to acquire, construct, or improve their water
This program provides flexible federal funding to states and
and waste disposal systems. Funds can also be used to help
localities to support economic development, community
rural communities improve stormwater collection and
development, and infrastructure, including drinking water
disposal. CFDA Number 10.760
and wastewater projects. CFDA Numbers 14.228, 14.218;
https://www.hud.gov/states
Water & Waste Disposal Grants to Alleviate
Health Risks for Tribal Lands and Colonias
U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of
This program provides grants to federally recognized Tribes
Disaster Assistance
and colonias (unincorporated, economically distressed
This program provides low-interest, long-term loans
communities along the southern border in AZ, CA, NM, or
following a federally certified disaster. Loans are available
TX), and other rural, low-income communities facing
to private for-profit and private non-profit drinking water
significant health risks to improve access to safe and
and wastewater utilities. CFDA Number 59.008;
reliable drinking water and waste disposal facilities and
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
services. CDFA Number 10.770
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
Reclamation, WaterSMART Grants
This program provides grants to eligible rural communities
WaterSMART grants provide cost-shared financial
to prepare for, or recover from, emergencies that threaten
assistance on a competitive basis for water management
the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. CFDA
improvements, including water efficiency, water marketing,
Number 10.763
and projects that save water or mitigate the risk of conflict
over water. CFDA Number 15.507;
Revolving Funds for Financing Water and
https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/weeg/
Wastewater Projects (Revolving Fund Program)
This program provides grants to qualified nonprofits for
Regional Commissions
establishing revolving loan funds, which are to be used for
Regional commissions comprised of member state
issuing loans to eligible entities to extend and improve
governors and a federally appointed co-chair receive federal
water and waste disposal systems in rural areas. CFDA
appropriations for regional economic development, which
Number 10.864
may be used for drinking water and wastewater projects,
among other purposes. Active commissions include the
Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant
Appalachian Regional Commission, https://www.arc.gov;
Program
the Delta Regional Authority, https://www.dra.gov; the
This program provides grants to qualified nonprofits and
Denali Commission, https://www.denali.gov; the Northern
tribes to establish a revolving loan fund to provide loans to
Border Regional Commission, https://nbrc.gov; and the
eligible rural households to construct, refurbish, or service
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, https://scrc.gov.
their individually owned household water well and septic
systems. CFDA Number 10.862
Claire M. Jordan, Research Librarian
IF11911
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Connecting Constituents with Federal Programs for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11911 · VERSION 3 · UPDATED