How the EPA is Implementing $50 Billion in National Water Infrastructure Improvements

 

The Bipartisan Policy Center, National Association of Counties, and the National League of Cities are hosting a virtual webinar series: “Overcoming Challenges and Seizing Opportunities: Implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

A recent webinar in the series hosted a discussion with Karen Dettmer, Managing Director for Infrastructure Implementation at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water focused on implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIF), specifically the EPA’s work to guide and support investments in our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure. (see recorded webinar below)

The discussion focused on how states, cities, and counties can work with EPA to take advantage of the $50 billion in funding – the single largest investment in national water infrastructure from the Federal government.

Ms. Dettmer said there is a focus on “keeping equity and affordability in mind … in particular, getting the funding for projects in small and rural communities and disadvantaged communities that have not access to this funding in the past.”

The majority of the money goes to the states through the EPA’s state revolving funds (SRFs) with specific funding dedicated to:

• addressing emerging contaminants,
• lead service line replacement,
• and improvement of existing programs.

The law states that 49% of these funds must be administered as grants or forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities.

The definition of a disadvantaged community is defined by the states. Ms. Dettmer said the EPA is encouraging states to look at their definition of “disadvantaged communities” and adjust it as needed. She said 21 states have already changed their definitions.

$50 Billion is a lot, but we need $3 Trillion to improve national water infrastructure.

During the discussion, it was noted that although $50 billion dollars is a big sum of money, we actually need more than $3 trillion dollars to improve our nation’s water infrastructure. The EPA is tasked to ensure the $50 billion in funding goes out and to make sure it is going out appropriately. As SRF loans are repaid that money can go back into projects in a state’s pipeline. It is important that communities build a pipeline of projects so states can show the need for more funding as they move forward.

Challenges & Opportunities in the Implementation.

Prioritizing projects: The EPA issued an SRF implementation memo (56-pages) that helps states identify projects to prioritize and how to go about doing so.

Building technical capacity: The EPA has 300 new technical positions to fill. These new hires will help ensure the funding goes out to the states. EPA is working with the Department of Labor in attracting and training new hires.

Misinformation about the SRF application process: Communities need to know there is a lot of technical assistance available to help them apply for SRF funds, including state contacts for Clean Water SRFs and state contacts for Drinking Water SRFs.

There are also organizations like the PVC Pipe Association that have engineers available to answer technical questions.

Watch the Webinar: Implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at the EPA | Bipartisan Policy Center