w
Clean Water and Drinking Water Grants to U.S. Territories
and Washington, D.C. FY 2017 Annual Report
EPA allots a portion of the Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and Clean
Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) as grants
to Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of
U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), Guam, American
Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for drinking
water and wastewater infrastructure.
Congress exempted the District and the U.S.
territories from establishing state revolving
loan fund programs. The District and the U.S.
territories listed above instead chose to
continue receiving funds under the
Construction Grants Program. EPA supports
public health and environmental protection in
the U.S. territories and the District by helping
communities develop and maintain their
water infrastructure through funding, tools,
training, and technical assistance.
FY17 Allotments by Millions of Dollars
USVI
DC
American Samoa
CNMI
Guam
$ M $1 M $2 M $3 M $4 M $5 M $6 M $7 M $8 M $9 M
Clean Water ¦ Drinking Water
Graph 1: FY17 Allotments by millions of dollars
The District, USVI, Guam, American Samoa, and CNMI each face unique needs for their drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure, in some cases, a locality may need to rehabilitate or develop drinking water sources and
provide for basic sanitation needs with limited funds. In others, they may need to replace aging infrastructure,
correct outdated combined sewer overflows, or address ground water contamination. The grant program allows the
U.S. territories and the District to improve compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act,
provide safe drinking water, and protect
the environment.
This FY 2017 annual report includes
examples of the work performed using
DWSRF and CWSRF funding from October
1, 2016, through September 30, 2017,
from each of the U.S. territories and the
District. EPA Region 2 (USVI), Region 3
(the District), and Region 9 (Guam,
American Samoa, CNMI) award and
manage these grants.
Figure 1: World map showing locations mentioned in this report
Header Photo: Blue Plains Filtrate Treatment Facility (photo courtesy of PC Construction Company)	1
Washington, D.C.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Guam and
{Northern Mariana Islands
American Samoa

-------
Region 2: U.S. Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority
Christiansted Waterline Rehabilitation Project
The Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority (WAPA) began construction
activities for the Christiansted Waterline Rehabilitation Project on
August 9, 2016. The project will improve water quality to residents and
businesses and reduce non-revenue water (water loss) due to aging
pipes, resulting in increased efficiency of the distribution system and
reduced maintenance costs. This project includes the installation of
approximately 1,800 linear feet of 6-inch diameter polyvinyl chloride
water main to update and replace decaying ductile iron pipes and
connect to eight existing water mains of various sizes at six street
intersections. It also includes the installation of 36 service connections.
WAPA's contractor completed project construction on November 30,
2016. WAPA reports better water pressure and flow in the area as well
as an improvement in the water quality.
Photo 1: Christiansted Waterline Rehabilitation Project
(photo courtesy of Harold Mark, VIDPNR)
Region 3: Washington, D.C.
District Department of Energy and Environment
Alger Park Stream Restoration
The Alger Park Stream Restoration and Upland Low Impact Development (LID) Retrofit Project is a multi-faceted,
multi-agency initiative to restore a highly-degraded stream and prevent future degradation through a watershed
retrofit. The stream restoration portion of the project prevents streambank erosion that causes the transport of
over 100 tons per year of sediment from Alger Park Stream to the Anacostia River. The stream restoration was
completed in October 2017.
The comprehensive upland LID installations on private and public space slows, retains, and filters stormwater
before it enters the Alger Park stream restoration, protecting it from further erosion. The District's Department of
Energy & Environment (DOEE) set a goal of outreach
to 100% of the watershed's households with
information on the project and the RiverSmart
Homes Program (RSH), auditing 50% of the homes for
RSH practices, and installing RSH retrofits on 25% of
the properties that drain into Alger Park. DOEE met
its outreach and audit targets and installed RSH
practices in 21% of homes in the Alger Park
watershed. The District Department of
Transportation (DDOT) also completed designs for
LID practices in the public space that are estimated to
retain over 16,000 cubic feet (120,000 gallons) of
stormwater runoff during a 1.7-inch storm event.
Photo 2: Alger Park Stream Restoration
2	(photo courtesy of Josh Burch, DOEE)

-------
Region 3: Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority
Blue Plains Filtrate Treatment Facility
This District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) project
involves the construction of a new side stream Filtrate Treatment
Facility at Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, The
Filtrate Treatment Facility contributes to continuing high quality
effluent discharge from Blue Plains into the Potomac River. The facility
reduces the highly concentrated ammonia load from the final
dewatering facility recycle before it is delivered back into the
mainstream process.
The facility uses a new biological process called DEMON® (from the word DEamMONification) in a series of
sequencing batch reactors with varying aeration levels. The recently discovered microbes belonging to bacterial
phylum Planctomycetses have the ability to remove nitrogen without the addition of chemicals (i.e. methanol) and
reduce the significant power requirements that are normally associated with the removal of nitrogen in a typical
Nitrification-Denitrification Process thereby significantly reducing costs.
This project increases the ability of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant to reliably and
consistently remove nitrogen from the wastewater. This is helping DC Water to meet its National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit requirement that limits the amount of nitrogen the plant may
discharge to the Potomac River to 4,7 million pounds a year. The new nitrogen limit was adopted to support the
nutrient reduction goals of the Chesapeake Bay Program. The new nitrogen limit is consistent with the Long Term
Control Plan Consent Decree between EPA and DC Water, dated March 23, 2005.
EPA manages this project with assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DC Water.
Photo 3: Blue Plains Filtrate Treatment Facility
(photo courtesy of PC Construction Company)
Region 9: American Samoa
American Samoa Power Authority
Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvements
The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) initiated construction
of three new production wells, including two new water storage
tanks. The new construction will connect to the Central Water
System and be completed by the end of August 2018. This critical
project will reduce pathogens in American Samoa's drinking water
system. Much of the Central Water System has been under a boil
water notice since March 2010. Completion of this project will
allow ASPA to lift the boil water notice for approximately 9,000
people, about 15% of American Samoa's population. ASPA began
strategically drilling new wells in its continuing effort to reduce
pathogens in its water system and lift the boil water notice throughout the territory. EPA provides the primary
source of funding for making improvements to American Samoa's drinking water system.
Photo 4: Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvements
(photo courtesy of ASPA)
3

-------
Region 9: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Commonwealth Utilities Corporation
Water Loss Project and
Sustainable Drinking Water & Energy Savings
Photo 5: Identified Waterline Leak Marked for
Repair
(photo courtesy of David Hidalgo, CUC)
The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC) is proactively addressing
water loss to improve the sustainability of its groundwater resource. Since
January 2016, CUC reduced water loss by 6%. To accomplish this success,
CUC focused its efforts on three priority areas: (1) replacement of faulty,
inaccurate water meters at homes, apartments, and commercial
establishments; (2) distribution and main improvements that provide
substantial flow control and illegal service disconnection benefits; and, (3)
extensive leak detection efforts that have been followed by immediate repairs implemented through priority areas.
This work is a significant step forward for CNMI in initiating and sustaining efforts to address water loss. CUC is
successfully implementing this non-revenue water program with support from EPA grant funding.
Region 9: Guam
Guam Waterworks Authority
Institutional Capacity Building/Asset Management
Through an in-kind technical services contract, EPA provided grant funding to increase the technical, financial, and
managerial capacities at the Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA). The project included the development and
implementation of enterprise-wide standard operating procedures, an upgraded geographic information system,
and the creation of an asset management
program. Working closely with EPA's contractor
on asset management, GWA completed an asset
inventory, installed a new computerized
maintenance and management system for the
control and tracking of work orders, and
implemented a condition and criticaIity
assessment tool. GWA is beginning to see a
significant increase in the ratio of preventative
to corrective maintenance. The five-year project
helped GWA improve operations and
management of their water and wastewater
systems and implement standardized
procedures and tracking for a more effective
and efficient capital improvement program.
Photo 6: New WWTP at Agat-Santa Rita in Guam
For more information about this program, please contact us at:
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Office of Wastewater Management and Office of Groundwater & Drinking Water
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (Mail Code 4204M), Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA Document 830R18002
July 2018
www.epa.gov

-------