Managing and Leveraging Data with the
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
States and communities may use the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
loan fund and set-asides to support data management activities.
BACKGROUND
Effective data management is critical to state
drinking water programs and public water systems
for the protection of public health. These efforts
provide states and water systems with the technical
tools needed to map, collect, analyze, and report
data more efficiently and effectively.
DWSRF ASSISTANCE
The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
can provide financial assistance to publicly-owned
and privately-owned community water systems, as
well as non-profit non-community water systems, for
drinking water infrastructure projects. Projects must
either facilitate the system's compliance with
national primary drinking water regulations or
significantly further the health protection objectives
of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico operates its
own DWSRF program. They receive annual
capitalization grants from the EPA, which in turn
provide low-interest loans and other types of
assistance to water systems. Repayments of DWSRF
loans begin one year after project completion, with
loan terms up to 30 years for most communities, or
up to 40 years for disadvantaged communities.
Additionally, states may use a portion of their
capitalization grant from the EPA as "set-asides" to
help communities build the technical, managerial,
and financial capacities of their systems. With an
emphasis on small systems, these funds help ensure
sustainable infrastructure and public health
investments.
DATA MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
The DWSRF loan fund and set-asides may be used
to support state programs and water systems with
data management. Many states use set-asides to
conduct a broad range of data management
activities. Some states contract out these activities to
third parties, some utilize in-house staff, and others
utilize EPA contracts to implement these tasks.

OFFICE OF GROUND WATER
AND DRINKING WATER

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EPA OGWDW | Managing and Leveraging Data with the DWSRF
States most commonly utilize the Administrative (i.e., 4
percent) and State Program Management (i.e., 10
percent) set-asides for data management activities.
States may also use the Local Assistance and Other
State Programs (i.e., 15 percent) set-aside if the activity
is part of the state's Capacity Development Strategy.
More information on the set-asides can be found on the
DWSRF website (www.epa.QOv/dwsrf).
Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
Set-aside funding can be used for an array of activities
related to migrating, maintaining, and updating the
state's Safe Drinking Water Information System
(SDWIS) data system. These activities include:
•	Transitioning and implementing support for SDWIS
and Compliance Monitoring Data Portal (CMDP);
•	Updating or replacing interfacing applications for
exchange of data with the SDWIS and CMDP;
•	Adding to and/or customizing published SDWIS
user interface code; and
•	Providing in-kind services through the withholding
of set-asides funds to utilize EPA's Blanket Purchase
Agreement (BPA) for SDWIS and CMDP
implementation support.
EPA's SDWIS Resource Page:
https://www.epa.aov/around-water-and-drinkina-water/safe-
drinkina-water-information-svstem-sdwis-federal-reportina
EPA's CMDP Resource Page:
https://www.epa.aov/around-water-and-drinkina-
water/compliance-monitorina-data-portal
EPA's Asset Management Resource Page:
https://www.epa.aov/dwcapacitv/asset-manaaement-resources-
states-and-small-drinkina-water-svstems
Leveraging Data with Cash Flow Management
Using the DWSRF Administrative set-aside, many states
have successfully built financial modeling tools that
accurately predict the revolving fund's cash availability
over time. Cash flow management involves modeling
inflows and outflows of the DWSRF program's various
financial assets (e.g., federal capitalization grants and
interest earnings). This informs sound financial
decisions for the program and empowers state DWSRF
managers to maximize the availability of resources for
communities to protect public health.
EPA 816-F-19-002 October 2019
Asset Management
Asset management is a framework widely adopted
by the water sector to pursue and achieve
sustainable infrastructure. The DWSRF loan fund can
be used by water systems to develop and update
asset management programs. The set-asides can
also be used by the state for asset management-
related activities, including training, technical
assistance, and program development.
Hydraulic Modeling
Hydraulic modeling is a particularly useful subsection
of data management, which can assist with water
system planning and provide predictive insight
towards a water system's vulnerability. The DWSRF
loan fund or set-asides can be used to fund activities
such as GIS mapping development and hydraulic
model development, calibration, and analysis.
Equipment & Technology
The DWSRF loan fund may be used by water
systems to purchase equipment and upgrade
technologies, like creating and installing a
supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)
system. Set-asides may be used for developing a
benchmark database for collection and analysis of
laboratory data from water systems.
Training
States may use set-asides to fund water system
operator training. The State Program Management
set-aside can be used to develop operator
certification databases and software to track
operators' certification status. The set-asides may
be used for the support of state program staff's
attendance at conferences, such as the Data
Managers Users Conference, and for outreach and
training of state program staff, including training on
the Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and
Assessment (DWINSA).
APPLY FOR FUNDING
Water systems receive DWSRF assistance directly
from state agencies. Each state has its own
application procedure. Contact information for each
state is posted at https://www.epa.aov/dwsrf/state-
dwsrf-website-and-contacts.

^ For more information, visit: epa.gov/dwsrf

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DWSRF Case Studies: Data Management
How states and communities are using the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
(DWSRF) loan fund and set-asides to support data management,
WISCONSIN'S DRINKING WATER DATABASE
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) utilized the State Program Management (i.e.,
10%) set-aside to hire a third-party contractor to
improve their Drinking Water System (DWS). The
DWS is a public database containing information
about Wisconsin's public water systems. The update
addresses several topics, including;
•	Water system inventory;
•	Operator certification information;
•	Consumer Confidence Reports; and
•	Violation tracking, standardized violation letters,
and public notice forms
Much of the DWS information is accessible via the
internet to the general public, water system
operators, and health officials to learn about the
quality of Wisconsin's drinking water.
NEBRASKA'S LOAN TRACKING SOFTWARE
The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
(NDEQ) used DWSRF set-aside funds to purchase
and implement a loan and grant tracking system
(LGTS). The LGTS is a comprehensive software
application designed specifically for Nebraska's State
Revolving Fund (SRF) managers and staff to track
and manage all aspects of their SRF programs from
project loan application to final repayment. The
system also tracks all capital contributions, set-aside
spending, and bond issuance and repayment. NDEQ
found that LGTS reduced the occurrence of human
error, which in turn increases time savings and
efficiencies.

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EPA OGWDW | DWSRF Case Studies: Data Management
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS IN MAINE
The Maine Drinking Water Program uses the Local
Assistance and Other State Programs (i.e., 15
percent) set-aside to fund Capacity Development
Grants, which are available to public water systems
(PWSs) in amounts up to $15,000 per water system.
PWSs use these grants to seek professional services
in developing documents that work to enhance water
system capacity, including system hydraulic modeling
studies, asset management plans, and geographic
information system (GIS) infrastructure mapping.
Maine's Capacity Development Grants help ensure
that water systems develop documentation required
to operate and maintain their system.
MASSACHUSETTS' MANAGEMENT DATABASE
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection utilized the State Program Management
(i.e., 10 percent) set-aside to develop an in-house
SRF Management database system. This database
manages all SRF assistance agreements from project
evaluation and rating to project close out. This
includes capitalization grant tracking, change orders
and inspections, accounting and disbursements, and
various reporting functions for the state and the
EPA. The database increased accountability,
accuracy, and reporting efficiency, as well as staff
productivity.
5.75	56	8.25	3.25	4.8	3	6.05	10.25	14.38
9	3	10	25.6	12.59	17.98	15.26 129.85	74.42
EPA 816-F-19-0001 October 2019
NEEDS SURVEY TRAINING IN OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
(ODEQ) used the Administration and Technical
Assistance (i.e., 4 percent) set-aside withheld from
the state's DWSRF capitalization grant to train its staff
on how to accurately complete the Drinking Water
Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment
(DWINSA). The survey data is collected by the EPA
and states and is used to calculate how DWSRF funds
are allotted. The training obtained through EPA's
contractor assisted staff and ensured that the surveys
were performed effectively and correctly.
FLORIDA'S DATA MANAGEMENT FOR SOURCE
WATER PROTECTION
As part of Florida's source water protection (SWP)
program, the state utilized the State Program
Management (i.e., 10 percent) set-aside to conduct
several data management-related activities. Florida
undertook modeling for a source water assessment
for two surface water intakes. The state also using
the funding to update the Florida Aquifer Vulnerability
Assessment models by adding new and improved
input data to GIS layers. Furthermore, Florida
developed and populated a database for the
Delineated Areas Program to track permitting and
construction of new drinking water wells in areas of
known ground water contamination.
APPLY FOR FUNDING
Water systems receive DWSRF assistance directly
from state agencies. Each state has its own
application procedure. Contact information for each
state is posted at https://www.epa.aov/
drinkinawatersrf/state-dwsrf-website-and-con tacts
EPA's SDWIS Resource Page:
https://www.epa.gov/qround-water-and-drinkinq-water/safe-
drinkina-water-information-svstem-sdwis-federal-reportina
EPA's Asset Management Resource Page:
https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacitv/asset-manaqement-resources-
states-and-small-drinkina-water-svstems
Uses of DWSRF Set-Asides:
https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacitv/use-drinkinq-water-state-
revolvinq-fund-dwsrf-set-asides
DWSRF Eligibility Handbook:
https://www.epa.gov/dwsrf/dwsrf-eliqibilities
L
For more information, visit: epa.gov/dwsrf

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