2009 DWSRF AWARDS
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DWSRF 2009 AWARDS
Since the inception of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), states have shown
exceptional creativity in managing their programs in ways that promote sustainability and protect
public health. The 2009 DWSRF Awards for Sustainable Public Health Protection recognize the most
innovative and effective DWSRF state programs that further the goal of clean and safe water through
exceptional planning, management, and finance.
Each regional office could nominate one DWSRF
state program for the Award. The ten state SRF
programs were nominated by the regional offices
based upon the following criteria:
• Minimum cumulative pace level of 80 percent
through the last fiscal year
• Financial integrity: audits and regional reviews
concluded that the state program does not have
any serious financial or programmatic problems
Each nominee also had to demonstrate outstanding
performance and leadership in two or more of the
following criteria:
• Creative use of set-asides
• Best Management Practices
Asset Management
Environmental Management Systems
Public Private Partnerships
• Innovative partnerships
• Effective outreach
• Leveraging practices
• Exceeding American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requirements
Winners were recognized at the national meeting of
the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities
(CIFA) in Seattle on November 3, 2009. The
nomination materials will be shared with all EPA
regional offices to highlight examples of creative
activities being carried out across the country.
The DWSRF program is pleased to share the winners of the 2009 Awards
for Sustainable Public Health Protection.
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DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND
REGION 1
MAINE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND
MAINE MUNICIPAL BOND BANK
Innovative partnerships play a central role in Maine's
DWSRF Program. The Maine Department of Health
and Human Services and the Maine Municipal Bond
Bank work closely with assistance recipients and
actively encourage partnerships to achieve the
most cost-efficient drinking water solutions. The
Program's team-centered approach has made it a
national leader in meeting ARRA requirements: all
of its ARRA funded projects are under contract or
construction and have signed loan agreements.
Innovation is demonstrated by the collaboration
between the water utilities of Lewiston and Auburn
as they seek to meet the public health requirements
of the 2006 amendments to the SDWA. For example,
after conducting an evaluation of available options to
comply with new requirements for disinfection, the
two utilities agreed that adding UV reactors at the
Lake Auburn Intake and Treatment Facility would be
the best short- and long-term option to economically
and sustainably ensure safe drinking water and
public health. The resulting project is supported by
ARRA funding and is being designed and constructed
to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) certification.
REGION 3
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT WATER QUALITY
FINANCE ADMINISTRATION
The Maryland Department of Environment's (MDE]
Water Quality Finance Administration (WQFA)
uses the DWSRF to finance projects that protect
public health and support sustainability and
water efficiency. In an effort to address the threat
of drought and achieve long-term water system
sustainability, the Maryland DWSRF has increasingly
focused on water conservation, n order to be
eligible for a WQFA loan, all water systems must
submit a water audit. Water conservation plans
are also required for water systems that serve a
population greater than 10,000 and those that serve
a population greater than 500 with water losses
exceeding 10 percent.
WQFA is also successfully managing DWSRF-ARRA
funds through outreach and marketing and the
expansion of subsidies to eligible applicants with
Green Project Reserve (GPR) projects. As part of
its ARRA outreach, WQFA conducted a Financing
Conference in November 2008 to explain the SRF
application process for financial assistance, and
also held a series of conference calls to assist
new assistance recipients in complying with ARRA
requirements.
Two projects in particular demonstrate WQFA's
successful use of ARRA funds for projects that would
not otherwise have been funded: a major water
efficiency project in Baltimore will replace inefficient
water fixtures in public buildings with low-flow
devices, and Rhodes Point, a 40-home community on
Smith Island served by an antiquated water system,
will no longer need to rely on the American Red
Cross or bottled water. With ARRA funds, WQFA was
able to help one community save water and another
to correct a urgent water supply problem.
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DWSRF 2009 AWARDS
REGION 4
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
The Florida DWSRF program is notable for its use
of partnerships to enhance its outreach efforts and
project funding process. It has worked closely with
the CWSRF program and the Florida Rural Water
Association (FRWA) to offer workshops and courses
that provide SRF training to local government
officials and consultants, and a 2009 workshop
featured extensive updates on the base program and
ARRA requirements. Additionally, by partnering with
FRWAs Interim Loan Program, the Florida DWSRF
is able to get projects under construction before
DWSRF funds are available. With a letter provided
by the Program committing to funding projects in
future years, banks can offer affordable bridge loans
to finance project construction until DWSRF funds
are available.
Florida also takes a proactive approach to public
health protection by conserving and protecting
drinking water supplies. The DWSRF program is
creatively using set-aside funding for source water
protection activities to update a water-balance
computer model used to design and evaluate
wastewater reuse systems. Reuse protects drinking
water sources by reducing demands on valuable
surface and groundwater that is used as a drinking
water source.
REGION 5
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND
WISCONSINS DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(WDNR) is making creative use of set-asides to
advance DWSRF program priorities. WDNR used
Wellhead/Source Water Protection set-aside funds
to initiate a research project that will provide
data to support changes to current wastewater
treatment and disposal practices that negatively
impact municipal wells. WDNR will also sponsor
three workshops to provide training to teachers
to enhance, develop, and sustain water education
efforts in Wisconsin K-12 schools in an effort to
increase water literacy and engage the public in
sustainable water resources practices.
Additionally, WDNR is targeting Green Project
Reserve (GPR) projects that include energy and
water efficiency improvements. Of all the projects
that applied for ARRA funding, WDNR identified 38
that were eligible, in whole or in part, for the GPR.
ARRA funding that is allocated to these projects is
nearly 36 percent of the Program's ARRA grant.
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DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND
REGION 6
OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND
OKLAHOMA WATER RESOURCES BOARD
The Oklahoma DWSRF program, administered by
the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
(ODEQ) and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board
(OWRB), is helping small water systems through
its innovative use of set-asides. ODEQ developed
an Engineering Plan and Design Grant (EPDG)
Program, funded by the Program Management and
Local Assistance set-asides, to provide assistance
to drinking water systems serving populations of
10,000 or less. EPDG applicants are ranked using
the existing DWSRF Priority System, and funds are
awarded quarterly to applicants with the highest
priority points. EPDG will make it easier for small
and disadvantaged water systems to plan and design
drinking water projects.
ODEQ is also demonstrating its commitment to
sustainability by significantly exceeding the 20
percent requirement in ARRA for the Green Project
Reserve (GPR). The DWSRF program has sufficient
eligible GPR projects on its Intended Use Plan to
exceed the GPR requirement by 16 percent. ODEQ
has achieved this success by actively soliciting
projects and establishing a target of 30 percent
principal forgiveness for GPR projects.
REGION 7
NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND
NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human
Services and Department of Environmental Quality
use outreach efforts to maximize the effectiveness of
the DWSRF program. DWSRF stakeholder meetings
are held throughout the state to provide status
updates and solicit information to fine-tune the
Program's direction. The Program also works closely
with individual systems, especially for projects
considered high priority due to their public health
benefits. Systems submit engineering reports to the
Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee, which
reviews applications to determine the best sources
of funding as well as opportunities to streamline the
environmental review process and increase funding
through partnerships. Once a project is identified
for DWSRF funding, follow-up meetings with
community leaders are held to clarify requirements
in developing funding agreements.
Nebraska is also successfully focusing on water
efficiency projects, as demonstrated by its Green
Project Reserve Water Efficiency fundable list. To
attract assistance recipients, principal forgiveness
was doubled for meter projects and capped at 50
percent. As a result, ARRA funds allocated for GPR
projects are approximately 25 percent of Nebraska's
total ARRA funding. All of the Nebraska's GPR
projects are scheduled to complete construction by
mid-2010.
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DWSRF 2009 AWARDS
REGION 8
WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, WYOMING WATER
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND WYOMING OFFICE OF STATE LANDS AND INVESTMENT
The Office of State Lands and Investment, the
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, and
the Wyoming Water Development Office are going
above and beyond ARRA requirements. Wyoming set
a goal of allocating 23 percent of the ARRA grant
towards Green Project Reserve (GPR) projects and
expects to exceed that goal and use a total of 26
percent of their ARRA funds for GPR projects.
To help achieve its DWSRF program goals and
comply with ARRA requirements, Wyoming has
conducted significant outreach efforts. The Program
has held four Board meetings since May 2009 for
communities wishing to apply for ARRA dollars
to fund both conventional drinking water and
GPR projects. It also offered an April 2009 video
conference workshop with 20 locations state-wide,
providing communities the opportunity to learn more
about ARRA funding requirements.
REGION 9
ARIZONA WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE AUTHORITY
The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA]
of Arizona uses innovative partnerships to conduct
effective outreach and fund drinking water projects.
WIFA provides information about infrastructure
funding options and technical assistance to small
rural communities through the Rural Water
Infrastructure Committee (RWIC). RWIC routinely
holds project information meetings throughout the
state, and it recently added a message board to the
RWIC Web site to facilitate sharing of project-specific
information among committee members. The Yuma
Colonias B & C project is an example of successful
RWIC collaboration. The project is receiving co-
funding through WIFA, the USDA Rural Development
Utilities Program (RDUP), Border Environmental
Cooperation Commission (BECC), and the North
American Development Bank (NADB). It will connect
the Avenue B & C Colonias Improvement District to
the City of Yuma water pollution control facility and
bring much needed sewer service to the area.
WIFA is also advancing the Green Project Reserve
(GPR) goals of ARRA by providing additional
incentives for green projects. WIFA waived the
local match requirement for "green/sustainable"
pre-design and design projects to encourage
incorporation of green concepts in projects financed
by WIFA. This policy increases the attractiveness of
planning and financing green projects, and allows
small disadvantaged communities to examine
green design options that may not have been
feasible otherwise.
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DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND
REGION 10
IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
has greatly improved Idaho's DWSRF program
performance. After several years of difficulty
securing sufficient binding commitments, Idaho
now has one of the top loan commitment rates
in Region 10. The Program's revision of criteria
for disadvantaged assistance made it easier for
struggling communities to qualify for extra subsidies
to fund important drinking water projects.
Idaho was also the only Region 10 state that met
the goal of having at least 50 percent of its DWSRF-
ARRA funds committed to projects that were under
contract or construction by June 17, 2009. A$12.2
million ARRA loan with the Central Shoshone County
Water District will correct a long-standing problem
with the Enaville Well in Kellogg, Idaho. The loan
includes 50 percent principal forgiveness and will
pay for residential metering and installation of a
microfiltration plant to treat drinking water. The
funds used for principal forgiveness help Idaho meet
the ARRA additional subsidization requirement,
while the funds used for metering count toward the
ARRA Green Project Reserve (GPR) requirement.
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2009 DWSRF AWARDS
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