Region 8 Nonpoint Source Grant Oversight Needs
Improvement
Office of Inspector General
Audit Report
WATER
Region 8 Nonpoint Source Grant Oversight
Needs Improvement
E1HWF7-08-0009-7100304
September 30,1997
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PURPOSE
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 nonpoint source (NPS) program staff requested that the Office of
Inspector General (OIG) audit the Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming NPS grant expenditures. Because EPA planned to
reduce its oversight of state NPS programs, regional program staff requested that OIG determine whether states ensured
NPS costs were eligible for reimbursement..
OBJECTIVES
Our audit objectives were to answer the following questions:
Was Region 8's oversight sufficient to ensure state programs were accomplishing NPS pollution abatement and
prevention objectives as stated in the Clean Water Act (CWA), EPA guidance, and regional guidance and policies?
Did states ensure projects were in accordance with NPS objectives and consistent with state/EPA agreements and had
individual projects accomplished their specific objectives?
Were costs claimed allowable, reasonable, and allocable to the grant and in compliance with the grant terms and
conditions and applicable federal statutes and regulations?
Did state project managers obtain sufficient financial and programmatic information to ensure grant expenditures were
appropriate?

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RESULTS IN BRIEF
Region 8 needed to require states to update their NPS management plans. Also, Region 8 needed to enforce program
requirements. The Region needed to provide more program and technical assistance by developing policy papers that
defined administrative costs and demonstration projects. Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming varied significantly in the level of
resources applied to and commitment placed on their NPS programs. Wyoming did not commit sufficient resources to run
an effective program, and the three states we reviewed had not developed adequate capacity to implement an NPS
program without section 319 funding. We did not identify any questioned costs in our sample of NPS expenditures in
Colorado and Wyoming but identified $265,182 of ineligible costs in Utah's matching fund pool.
Region 8 Should Improve Oversight And Technical Assistance For State NPS Programs
Region 8 should improve its oversight and enforcement of NPS program requirements, while moving toward providing
more programmatic and technical assistance. The Region did not require and the states did not provide updated
management plans due to anticipated CWA changes, states' low priority on updating management plans, and the lengthy
assessment process for determining priorities. Region 8 sent unclear messages to states by not enforcing program
requirements. The Region provided regional guidance and policy papers for the NPS program, but needed to define
additional program terms so that states consistently implemented important portions of their NPS program. As a result,
Region 8 and the states had limited assurance that states addressed the most significant nonpoint sources of pollution.
State NPS Program Management Was Mixed
States' NPS program management and resource commitment varied significantly. The state projects we reviewed were
generally in accordance with NPS objectives and accomplished their specific project objectives. However, the three states
did not commit sufficient state resources to fully implement their programs without continued federal funding. EPA's
practice of allowing states to carry forward NPS funds from prior years' grants discouraged states from developing their
own capacity and identifying other sources of funding to sustain their NPS programs. In addition, Wyoming's program
suffered from its differences with Region 8 over oversight and reporting requirements. Utah's NPS program could suffer in
future years if Utah's priorities shift and Utah does not reallocate its resources based on those priorities. Without
continued federal funding the three states could not continue to implement their NPS program and ensure EPA and
Congress that their programs addressed the most significant state NPS pollution problems.
Utah and Wyoming Needed To Improve Some Financial Management Practices
Utah and Wyoming needed to improve some NPS program financial management practices. We did not question any
costs in our sample of NPS expenditures in Colorado and Wyoming. We identified $265,182 of ineligible costs in Utah's
NPS project matching fund pools and identified areas needing improvement in Utah's and Wyoming's financial
management practices. Utah's conservation association inadvertently included agricultural loan lines of credit in its NPS
project matching fund pools. In addition, the association did not have supporting documentation for some costs and
included other ineligible items in its project matching fund pools. Wyoming's burdensome contract amendment process
resulted in one subgrantee performing work beyond the contract project period. Utah travel procedures did not require
travelers to provide the purpose of their trip on in-state travel documents, and NPS project files did not include summary
sheets for easy tracking of expenditures and related matching funds. Utah began reviewing its matching fund pools to
remove ineligible costs and agreed to make necessary procedural changes in its travel procedures and project file
management.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Regional Administrator should establish milestones for each state to update its management plan and work with
Wyoming to ensure that its management plan identifies NPS pollution priorities. The Region, in coordination with the
Office of Water, needs to finalize its policy paper on administrative costs and develop a policy paper that defines

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demonstration project. The Region 8 NPS staff needs to help states develop a plan to build states' capacity to operate an
NPS program without reliance on section 319 funding. The Regional Administrator should require Wyoming to evaluate
how it will meet NPS program commitments and work with Wyoming to realistically achieve program goals. The Regional
Administrator needs to verify that Utah's matching funds are eligible prior to making final payment on any Utah NPS grant.
In addition, the Regional Administrator should ensure that Wyoming and Utah make certain improvements to some of their
financial management practices.
AUDITEE COMMENTS AND OIG EVALUATION
Region 8 and the three states generally agreed with the findings and recommendations. The Region and the states
provided comments to clarify portions of the report and we have incorporated those comments and modified the report as
appropriate.

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