integrated Planning in Action
Funding the Development of an Integrated Plan

EPA's Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework helps
municipalities meet clean water goals while prioritizing infrastructure investments with the greatest water
quality improvements and community benefits. The Framework lays out a comprehensive, yet flexible
planning process based on a set of overarching principles. EPA created a series of fact sheets—including
this one—to inform municipalities interested in integrated planning.
Investing in integrated planning can lead to efficiencies.
Investing in a comprehensive integrated planning process can lead to long-term cost savings, multiple
community benefits, and efficiencies in meeting a municipality's Clean Water Act obligations. If a
municipality plans for wastewater, stormwater, and other infrastructure needs separately, inefficiencies
and redundancies could cost more money in the long term. Integrated planning allows the municipality to
create a single plan to address varied infrastructure needs while addressing the most critical water quality
issues first.
The cost of developing an integrated plan varies.
The cost of developing an integrated plan
depends on what a municipality already has done,
such as recent asset management inventories,
engineering designs, capital improvement plans,
and master plans. Other factors such as the types
of infrastructure, the incorporation of a financial
analysis, and the modeling of data also affect
the budget. Early in the process, municipalities
should look across the work they are already
doing to determine what can inform the integrated
planning process and create a preliminary budget
for the plan's development. The cost to develop a
plan is typically less than 1 percent of the cost to
implement the projects included in the plan.
Budget assumptions may not be precise at this
stage, but considering the following will give
municipalities a ballpark budget figure:
¦ Timeframe. The development of an integrated
plan typically takes 18-36 months. A
municipality's compliance schedule for related
Clean Water Act deadlines can affect this schedule.
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Rolla, Missouri

Rolla used $100,000 in

general funds to develop

its $94 million Integrated

Management Plan. This
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equates to about 0.01
...
percent of the plan's total

implementation cost.
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Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence's Integrated
2012 Wastewater Utilities
Plan cost $300,000 (in
funds generated from utility
fees) to develop over the
three-year planning period.
This equates to about
0.2 percent of the cost to
implement the integrated
plan.
Municipalities may also need to consider the

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number of municipal budget cycles required
to complete the plan and outside funding
availability (e.g., grant periods).
¦	Existing data. Using existing data will greatly
influence the cost of developing an integrated
plan. Municipalities should examine what
high-quality, recent data, engineering designs,
and plans can inform the integrated planning
process. Having more directly applicable
data can make planning less expensive—
and municipalities will also find those data
useful as they determine future infrastructure
investments for climate change resiliency.
¦	Staffing. Integrated planning requires a
variety of skills, from writing and facilitation
to data collection, mapping, engineering, and
modeling. Assessing whether these capabilities
exist in-house (or if, instead, a municipality
needs to develop partnerships or bring in
consultants) is vital when determining costs.
¦	Stakeholder engagement. The integrated
planning process requires stakeholder
engagement at various stages, which can be
folded into existing outreach efforts or a new
outreach strategy. Decisions such as whether
to use a third-party facilitator, how many
events will be held, and how many (and which)
stakeholders to engage will affect these costs.
Funding can come from a number of different sources.
Many municipalities use general funds from tax revenues, enterprise funds generated by utility fees, or
municipal bonds to pay for infrastructure planning. However, outside sources may be necessary to fully
fund expensive capital projects.
Many of the following sources of funding to develop a plan can be found at
EPA's Clearinghouse for Environmental Finance:
Programs tailored to serve the needs of small or uriderserved
communities are indicated using the icon to the right.
Below are examples of funding sources for developing an integrated plan.
EPA loans:
¦ Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). The CWSRF program is a federal-state partnership
that provides communities low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure
projects. Planning activities likely to result in capital projects are eligible for CWSRF funding
and the eligibilities guidance specifically lists integrated planning. Municipalities can contact
their state CWSRF coord nators for more information or to apply.
Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County's Integrated Management Plan cost
$1.3 million (in funds generated by utility fees) to develop:
$400,000 for the first phase and $900,000 for the
second phase. The plan development costs were about
0.6 percent of the total implementation cost.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond's Clean Water
Plan cost $1.8 million
(in funds generated by
utility fees) to develop:
$1.3 million for watershed
characterization, monitoring,
assessments, and planning
and $500,000 for outreach
over the three-year planning
period. This equates
to approximately 0.4
percent of the plan's total
implementation cost.

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¦	Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). The WIFIA program provides long-
term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects, including to
support planning activities for CWSRF-eligible projects.
EPA grants:
¦	Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants Program. This new program will
provide funding for critical stormwater infrastructure projects and planning in communities
including stormwater, green infrastructure, combined sewer overflows, and sanitary sewer
overflows.
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Other federal grants and loans:
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Water and Environmental Programs (WEP). WEP provides
funding for the construction of water and waste disposal systems in rural communities with
populations of 10,000 or less. Funding opportunities include predevelopment planning grants
and water and waste disposal loans and grants.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities
Program (BRIC). BRIC uses grant funding to support states, local communities, tribes, and
territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from
disasters and natural hazards. The program can fund hazard mitigation planning and planning-
related activities.
U.S. Department of the Treasury: American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local
Fiscal Recovery Funds. These funds provide a substantial infusion of resources to help turn
the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong
and equitable recovery. They are available for making necessary investments to support vital
wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
A
Economic Development Administration: Fiscal Year 2020 Public Works and Economic
Adjustment Assistance Program. The program provides investments in planning under
the Administration's Public Works program to advance economic prosperity in distressed
communities.
Other funding sources:
¦	States may also fund grants specifically for facility planning to encourage long-term
infrastructure planning. For example, Delaware's Wastewater Planning Grant can help
municipal wastewater utilities update wastewater facility plans, prepare preliminary
engineering reports, or conduct planning studies.
¦	Philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, such as the Cynthia and George Mitchell
Foundation, may also fund planning activities.
You can also reach out to EPA's Municipal Ombudsman to learn more about tailored technical assistance
and funding options: https://www.epa.gov/ocir/municipal-ombudsman.
For more information, please visit EPA's Integrated Planning website
EPA-832-F-21-001
svEPA

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