oEPA

DRAFT NATIONAL



WATER PROGRAM



GUIDANCE



FY 2025-2026



April 2024



Publication Number: 800D24001








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NATIONAL WATER PROGRAM GUIDANCE

FY 2025-2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from the Office of Water's Leadership	1

SECTION I: Introduction	2

Implementation of the EPA's FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan	2

Federal Civil Rights Responsibilities, Including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964	4

SECTION II: Priority Areas	6

Addressing and Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change	8

Investing in Water Infrastructure	10

Providing Water Technical Assistance	15

Addressing PFAS	19

Protecting and Restoring Waterbodies and Watersheds	20

SECTION III: Strengthening the Nation-to-Nation Relationship with Tribes	27

SECTION IV: Grant and Loan Guidance	30

Beach Monitoring and Notification Grants	30

Public Water System Supervision Grant Guidance	30

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Guidance	32

Emerging Contaminants in Small and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program	34

Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program	35

Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program	35

Underground Injection Control Grant Guidance	36

Clean Water State Revolving Fund Guidance	37

CWA Section 604(b) Grant Guidance	38

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Guidance	39

CWA Section 106 Grant Guidance	39

CWA Section 319 Grant Guidance	40

Wetland Program Development Grants	41

SECTION V: FY 2025 National Water Program Measures	43

SECTION VI: Key Contacts	46

APPENDIX	47

List of Acronyms	47


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FY 2025-2026

Message from the Office of Water's Leadership

As the Office of Water celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act in 2022 and
prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 2024,
we are mindful of both the progress and how much further we need to go as a nation to ensure
that every community in the United States has access to clean and safe water.

The Office of Water continues to prioritize implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law1, which elevates the water sector like never before with $50 billion to the United States
Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen the nation's drinking water, stormwater and
wastewater systems. It is the single largest investment in water that the federal government
has ever made, and it is accelerating progress toward improving public health and the
environment while creating jobs and setting the stage for long-term economic development.
We are focusing on getting federal funding to communities that have historically been left
behind through our expanded water technical assistance (WaterTA) efforts. In addition to the
opportunities created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the President's Fiscal Year 2025
Budget will advance the Office of Water's ambitious goals outlined in the FY2022-2026 EPA
Strategic Plan. The over $5.1 billion requested will help ensure and expand access to clean and
safe water throughout the nation.

For FY 2025-2026, the Office of Water will focus on the following priorities: investing in water
infrastructure; ensuring equitable access to federal funding through water technical assistance;
removing legacy lead pipes that contaminate drinking water; reducing per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) in water; and addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change.

The National Water Programs will look to partner with Tribes, states, territories, as well as
public and private organizations. Only by working with our partners can we ensure clean and
safe water for all people. We will continue to deepen our partnerships and scale our work to
protect and restore our nation's water, including by enhancing the security and resilience of
drinking water and wastewater systems against hazards such as cyber-attacks. The Office of
Water will seek to advance equity and environmental justice in all activities while building trust
with our partners by following the science and the law and maximizing transparency in our
actions. The Office of Water will bring leadership to these issues through its convening power,
targeting existing funding streams and providing support to our co-regulatory partners.

1 For more information on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, officially known as Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act, please visit the White House's Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.

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SECTION I: Introduction

The National Water Program Guidance outlines how the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Tribes, states, territories and non-governmental partners will work together
to protect and improve the quality of the nation's waters. By communicating operational
priorities and providing a source for grant guidance, the FY 2025-2026 NWPG builds on the
agency's FY2022-2026 Strategic Plan and the President's FY2025 Budget. In addition, the
document outlines how the Office of Water will continue to build on President Biden's
executive orders tackling climate change, advancing environmental justice and ensuring civil
rights are integrated into the agency's mission.2 The NWPG is intended to be a tool for the
EPA's regional offices to use with states and Tribes as they develop annual grant workplans or
performance partnership agreements (PPA).

Before developing the guidance, the Office of Water engaged in early outreach with Tribes and
states to help identify important environmental and human health priority areas. The outreach
took place primarily through written correspondence at the national level. The Office of Water
carefully reviewed and considered the comments received from state and Tribal groups. Where
applicable, the Office of Water staff addressed the comments received in this document.

Implementation of the EPA's FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan

The FY 2025-2026 NWPG builds on the EPA's FY2022-
2026 Strategic Plan,3 which communicates the
agency's vision, priorities and strategies to
accomplish the agency's mission to protect human
health and the environment. The plan serves as the
framework for annual planning and budgeting. The
Strategic Plan renews the EPA's commitment to the
agency's three core principles: follow the science,
follow the law, and be transparent. The plan adds a
fourth foundational principle: advance justice and
equity. For the first time, the EPA's plan includes a
strategic goal focused exclusively on addressing
climate change and an unprecedented strategic goal
to advance environmental justice and civil rights.

These priorities are integrated throughout the plan's
programmatic goals and cross-agency strategies. The
EPA's Strategic Plan also includes four cross-agency
strategies that articulate essential ways of working to accomplish mission outcomes, including
collaborating with Tribal Nations, states, local governments and communities.

The EPA's FY 2022-2026 Strategic
Plan Cross-Cutting Strategies:

Ensure scientific integrity and
science-based decision-making.
Consider the health of children
at all life stages and other
vulnerable populations.
Advance the EPA's
organizational excellence and
workforce equity.

Strengthen Tribal, state and
local partnerships and enhance
engagement.

2	Climate-related executive orders are available at Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for
Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, January 20, 2021 and Executive Order 14008:
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, January 27, 2021.

3	Available at the EPA's FY2022-2026 Strategic Plan

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Below is a summary of the water-related goals outlined in the Strategic Plan.

Long-Term Performance Goals:

•	By September 30, 2026, reduce the number of community water systems still in
noncompliance with health-based standards since March 31, 2021 from 752 to 500.4

•	By September 30, 2026, reduce the number of community water systems in Indian
country still in noncompliance with health-based standards since March 31, 2021 from
110 to 70.

•	By September 30, 2026, leverage an additional $45 billion in non-federal dollars through
the EPA's water infrastructure finance programs (Clean Water State Revolving Fund
[CWSRF], Drinking Water State Revolving Fund [DWSRF], and Water Infrastructure
Finance and Innovation Act [WIFIA]).

•	By September 30, 2026, in coordination with other federal agencies, provide access to
basic sanitation for an additional 36,500 American Indian and Alaska Native homes.5

•	By September 30, 2026, provide 2,203 Tribal, small, rural or underserved communities
with technical, managerial or financial assistance to improve operations of their drinking
water or wastewater systems.

•	By September 30, 2026, increase by an additional 41,000 square miles the area of
watersheds with surface water meeting standards that previously did not meet
standards.6

FY 2024-2025 Agency Priority Goal:

•	Reduce harmful lead exposure in drinking water through the replacement of lead
service lines in communities. By September 30, 2025, increase the number of lead
service line replacements funded to 500,000.7

For FY 2024-2025, one of the three Agency Priority Goals focuses on the estimated number of
lead service lines replaced through funding from a drinking water program. It is estimated that
there are 9.2 million lead service lines in the country. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
provided $15 billion to accelerate lead service line replacement and associated activities such
as development of lead service line inventories. To meet the agency's target of 500,000 lead

4	This baseline is a subset of the 3,508 systems that have been in long-term noncompliance since September 30,
2017.

5	Data for this metric come from the Indian Health Service. IHS started tracking this data in a different way, and the
EPA will no longer be able to report on this measure. The EPA has retired this measure and is exploring an
alternative measure.

6	The EPA's FY2022-2026 Strategic Plan included a draft baseline: July 7, 2021, baseline of 425,198 square miles of
watershed area with surface water that are meeting standards. As of July 2022, the final baseline is 504,605 square
miles of watersheds with surface waters not meeting standards.

7	Based on available data, the EPA estimates that on average 73,000 lead service line replacements have been
funded annually. The number of lead service line replacements funded will be tracked quarterly, but the two-year
goal is to increase that number to 300%.

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service line replacements funded, the Office of Water must allocate Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law and other lead service line funds to the states quickly, while simultaneously working with
partners to prepare communities and water systems to apply for funding by providing technical
assistance to states and communities (e.g., increasing awareness and supporting State
Revolving Fund [SRF] application development in disadvantaged communities). The EPA will
continue to leverage multiple programs, legal authorities and funding sources to develop and
sustain a pipeline of lead service line replacement projects that move toward the vision of a
lead-free America.

Federal Civil Rights Responsibilities, Including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
1964

In 1994, Executive Order 12898s was issued to direct federal agencies to incorporate achieving
environmental justice into their mission. The Presidential Memorandum9 accompanying that
executive order required in part, consistent with Title VI, that each federal agency "...ensure
that all programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance that affect human health or
the environment do not directly, or through contractual or other arrangements, use criteria,
methods, or practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin." In 2023,
Executive Order (EO) 14096 was issued, to further advance racial equity and support for
underserved communities. EO 14096 directs all Federal agencies to exercise leadership,
develop environmental justice strategic plans, and pursue a whole-of-government approach to
advance the Federal government's efforts to deliver real and measurable progress on
environmental justice. EO 14096 specifically focuses on strengthening external civil rights
enforcement and emphasizes that we must advance environmental justice for all by
implementing and enforcing the Nation's environmental and civil rights laws.

The EPA enforces federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the bases of race,
color, national origin (including limited-English proficiency), disability, sex and age, respectively
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(Section 504), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), Section 13 of the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (FWPCA) and the Age Discrimination Act of
1975 (Age Discrimination Act). All applicants for and recipients of financial assistance from the
EPA have an affirmative obligation to comply with these laws, as do any subrecipients of the
primary recipient, and any successor, assignee or transferee of a recipient. The ultimate
beneficiary of the assistance does not have an obligation.10

8	Available at Executive Order 12898 of February 11,1994 Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in
Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations

9	Available at The White House's Memorandum on the Executive Order on Federal Actions to Address
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations

10	Federal civil rights laws and the EPA's regulation is available at the EPA's Federal Civil Rights Laws (Including Title
VI) and the EPA's Non-Discrimination Regulations. See Title VI, 42 U.S.C. 2000(d) et seq.; Section 504 of The
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794; Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563, 568-69 (1974) (finding that
the government properly required language services to be provided under a recipient's Title VI obligations not to

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The EPA's nondiscrimination regulation at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 5 and 7
also contain longstanding procedural requirements applicable to applicants for and recipients
(including sub-recipients) of financial assistance from the EPA. These requirements include
having a notice of nondiscrimination, a nondiscrimination coordinator, grievance procedures, a
process for collecting and maintaining nondiscrimination compliance information, and,
pursuant to Title VI and The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, developing policies and procedures for
ensuring meaningful access to programs and activities for individuals with limited-English
proficiency and individuals with disabilities. In addition, recipients' public participation
processes must be implemented consistent with the federal civil rights laws.

The EPA furthers recipients' compliance with these obligations through pre-award reviews,
technical assistance and training, additional clarifying guidance and enhanced civil rights
enforcement. Accordingly, the EPA will carefully evaluate the grants awarded under this
Notice of Funding Opportunity to ensure all recipients are in compliance with federal civil
rights obligations.11

discriminate based on national origin); 40 C.F.R. § 7.35(a). See also EPA, Guidance to EPA Financial Assistance
Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient
Persons. 69 FR 35602, June 25, 2004 available at the Federal Register's Guidance to Environmental Protection
Agency Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination
Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons; United States EPA. Title VI Public Involvement Guidance for EPA
Assistance Recipients Administering Environmental Permitting Programs. 71 F.R. 14207, March 21. 2006; EPA.
Procedural Safeguards Checklist for Recipients; (rev. Jan. 2020) (which provides a more detailed explanation of
nondiscrimination obligations and best practices); EPA. Disability Nondiscrimination Plan Sample (2017).
11 Pre-award information is available at the EPA's Tips for Completing EPA Form 4700-4.

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SECTION II: Priority Areas

The work the EPA does every day to advance equity, address the climate crisis and protect
public health has never been more critical or urgent. Communities need more assistance than
ever to improve drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to protect and
restore water quality and ecosystems health. Achieving these objectives will require a
multifaceted approach and complex actions by a variety of entities. The primary goal is to assist
communities in addressing their water challenges and achieving their water quality goals.

To help communities achieve their goals, the Office of Water will focus resources and attention
on the following five priority areas:

•	Addressing and Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change.

•	Investing in Water Infrastructure.

•	Providing Technical Assistance.

•	Addressing PFAS.

•	Protecting and Restoring Waterbodies and Watersheds.

The Office of Water will continue to incorporate four cross-cutting themes that align with the
administration's commitment to follow the science, follow the law, be transparent and advance
justice and equity. These cross-cutting themes, detailed below, will be integrated into every
aspect of the Office of Water's work.

Equity and Affordability - Embed equity and environmental justice in all Office of Water activities.

The EPA is committed to ensuring that all Americans have access to essential water services and
clean water. The nation's health and wellbeing are dependent on equitable access to drinking
water, wastewater and water quality planning. Thousands of communities nationwide are
burdened by aging systems that threaten public health. Some communities have never had
adequate water service or infrastructure. Pollution and climate change exacerbate the impacts
of the lack of modern water infrastructure and have contributed to growing health disparities
among the nation's communities.

The EPA can play an essential role in addressing these issues and aid in closing the health
disparity gap. The Office of Water will work closely with its partners to help identify
opportunities to improve water infrastructure, address water quality and drinking water
challenges, and help communities access their fair share of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
resources while prioritizing equity and environmental justice. The Office of Water will continue
to make the development of solutions to water challenges a more inclusive and community-
driven process.

Regulatory Actions - Provide certainty, follow the science, the law and maximize transparency in
the Office of Water's actions.

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The EPA will ensure that science is respected, elevated and prioritized in all decisions.
Furthermore, equity and climate change will be central considerations in the EPA's regulatory
development. The agency will continue to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
regulatory programs by conducting meaningful engagement and fostering public participation
while working to advance equity and civil rights across the nation. The Office of Water is
committed to making enduring progress on rules, fostering greater trust among the regulated
community, the public and co-regulators, and achieving the shared mission of protecting public
health and the environment.

Partnerships - Partner and have transparent, respectful dialogues with partners at the federal,
Tribalstate and community levels.

Environmental and human health protection is a shared responsibility of states, Tribes,
territories, local communities and the federal government. The Office of Water recognizes that
early, meaningful and substantial involvement of the EPA's co-regulator partners is critical to
the development, implementation and enforcement of the nation's environmental programs.
The Office of Water understands that a keystone of the partnership is the ability for concerns to
be expressed and thoughtfully considered so effective, lasting policies can be developed for the
nation's most pressing environmental challenges.

The EPA and co-regulators have demonstrated that collaboration with partners can deliver
multiple benefits to achieve common goals. To protect sources of drinking water, community
resilience and overall water quality, the EPA must continue to foster these partnerships. The
EPA is committed to strengthening collaborative problem-solving. To foster cooperation
between co-regulatory partners, the Office of Water will continue to emphasize frequent and
early communication through open lines of dialogue and regular meetings. For example, the
EPA will continue collaboration with partners during regulatory development, permit issuance
and other programmatic activities to increase baseline knowledge, generate support for agency
decisions and grow ongoing relationships that will enhance implementation of the EPA's
programs.

In addition, meeting communities where they are to better understand the lived reality of
people and the health and environmental challenges they face is fundamental to developing
programs and policies. The EPA will focus on opportunities like site visits, forums and
convenings to cultivate relationships to stay attuned to the needs and concerns of diverse
groups, private sector partners and others impacted by the agency. The EPA will utilize its
geographically based water partnership programs to nurture and expand community
engagement using well-established and effective collaboration models.

For more information on Tribal specific engagement, please see Section III: Strengthening the
Nation-to-Nation Relationship with Tribes.

Office of Water's Strategy for Implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

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The Office of Water is making significant investments in the health, equity and resilience of
American communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivered more than $50 billion to
the EPA to improve the nation's drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and nature-based
infrastructure. The EPA is working with states and Tribes to ensure that communities get their
fair share of this federal water infrastructure investment. The Office of Water's primary goal is
to assist underserved communities in accessing these funds to improve their infrastructure.
Since the infrastructure law was implemented, the Office of Water has worked collaboratively
with communities across the country to make progress toward the Justice40 goal,12 which aims
to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments to
disadvantaged communities.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments in geographic and place-based programs means
communities will be able to better protect national water treasures and ensure they continue
to serve as vital economic and recreational assets as the climate continues to change. The
Office of Water will continue to provide technical assistance, collaborate with partners, and
establish a structure that can be scaled up and continued after Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
funds are expended. This funding is putting Americans to work in good-paying jobs, supporting
a thriving economy and increasing climate resilience throughout the country.

Addressing and Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change

Making Water a Solution to the Climate Crisis

Climate stress is often experienced as water stress through drought, flooding and sea level rise.
More frequent extreme storms increase the amount of polluted runoff entering waterways and
challenge the operational and infrastructure resiliency of water utilities. Overburdened and
underserved communities are particularly vulnerable to these impacts.13 Climate change has a
direct and cascading effect on water resources. It is exacerbating existing stressors that degrade
the quality of waterways, destabilizing critical water infrastructure and threatening human
health.

The EPA is taking bold steps and aligning its actions to respond decisively to the climate
crisis. The Office of Water will continue to work closely with the water community to drive
solutions to the climate crisis, ensuring that the EPA's partners play a key role in protecting
oceans, coasts, waterways, wetlands, aquifers and water infrastructure. The Office of Water's
approach will utilize placed-based partnerships and geographic programs to accelerate climate
adaptation and resiliency measures in vulnerable communities and coastal regions. The EPA will
leverage the assistance programs and services through initiatives like Creating Resilient Water
Utilities. The Office of Water's goal is to empower communities to identify and assess the
challenges climate change poses to their water resources and services, and to prioritize federal
resources to communities hit first and worst by the changing climate.

12	Additional information on Justice40 is available at The White House's The Path to Achieving Justice40.

13	Additional information is available at the EPA's Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A
Focus on Six Impacts.

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In addition to the partner-focused programs, the Office of Water's financing, regulatory and
permitting programs will expand efforts to address changing climatic conditions in program
development and implementation. Building on the publication and early successes of The Office
of Water Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan (see more following), climate adaptation
considerations will continue to be developed within foundational Clean Water Act (CWAJ
programs including water quality criteria, water quality standards, NPDES permitting, CWSRF,
DWSRF, WIFIA, Nonpoint Source Section 319 and Wetlands Program Development grants.
Further, the Office of Water will implement several climate mitigation activities under SDWA,
CWA, and Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA).

Implementing the Office of Water's Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan

President Biden's Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,14
required federal agencies to develop Climate Action Plans that describe their agency's climate
vulnerabilities and steps they will take to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Released in
October 2021, the EPA's 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan15 focused on five actions to fulfill
the EPA's mission to increase human and ecosystem resiliency to climate change with a primary
focus on advancing environmental justice. As part of the plan, Administrator Michael Regan
established a new policy on climate change adaptation and directed all EPA offices to update
their 2014 Implementation Plans to proactively incorporate climate adaptation throughout all
programs, policies, rules and operations.

The Office of Water's Implementation Plan outlines several priority actions, including training,
to help the Office of Water integrate climate change into the daily fabric of work. The Office of
Water updated its Implementation Plan in October 2023 to include an additional goal and to
refresh the priority actions and measures. These actions fall under four goals:

•	Goal 1: Improve the Climate Resilience of America's Water Infrastructure. As climate
change threatens essential drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure,
the Office of Water will take steps to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure.

•	Goal 2: Protect America's Waters from a Changing Climate. To meet water quality and
ecosystem health challenges caused or exacerbated by climate change, the Office of
Water must advance climate-informed management strategies for water resources that
incorporate the best available climate science.

•	Goal 3: Advance the Adaptive Capacity and Knowledge of All Water Community
Partners. The Office of Water must work internally and with partners to incorporate the
latest data, science and information into trainings, decision-support tools and other
resources that support the priorities identified in this plan and help national and
community partners make informed choices around the climate risks and impacts
confronting them.

•	Goal 4 (New as of 2023): Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Water-Related
Authorities. There are many opportunities within the National Water Program to

14	Available at The White House's Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad

15	Available at the EPA's Climate Adaptation Action Plan

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mitigate climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to
support the goals of the Inflation Reduction Act. Under existing authorities, the Office of
Water programs can permit projects that are designed to reduce atmospheric carbon
through sequestration, and others are working to incorporate mitigation and advance
nature-based solutions that have both adaptation and mitigation benefits. With the
addition of this new goal to the Office of Water's Climate Adaptation Implementation
Plan, the plan captures more fully the breadth of climate activities occurring throughout
the Office of Water.

In addition to the priority actions identified in the Implementation Plan, the Office of Water will
pursue additional adaptation and mitigation actions that support the federal government's
collective response to climate change. As an example, water reuse can provide a new and more
climate-resilient source of potable and/or non-potable water to supplement existing supplies
and reduce demand for freshwater.16 The WaterSense17 program supports climate mitigation
by reducing the energy associated with providing water to end users. Supporting research in
geologic sequestration and permitting marine carbon dioxide removal could potentially reduce
global greenhouse gas emissions.

The Office of Water will closely coordinate across programs, as well as with the EPA's regional,
geographic and other National Program Manager offices, to align climate change initiatives
more effectively across the EPA. Under a whole-of-government approach, the Office of Water
will work with other federal agencies on climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts that
cut across organizations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of this combined federal
effort. Together, the Office of Water and other federal agencies will develop and deliver
workable solutions that address the climate crisis, protect water quality and provide equitable
environmental outcomes in communities across the country.

Investing in Water Infrastructure

Providing Affordable and Flexible Financing to All Communities

Investing in water creates well-paying short-term jobs and lays the foundation for future
economic vitality in communities. Historically, the United States has drastically underinvested in
critical water infrastructure, only meeting 37% of the nation's total water infrastructure capital
needs in 2019.18 The EPA has traditionally funded water infrastructure through SRF programs;
however, new funds available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have provided a
meaningful down payment on closing America's water infrastructure gap.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided significant additional investments to traditional
purposes under the CWSRF and DWSRF ($11.7 billion each). In addition, the DWSRF was

16	Visit the EPA's Water Reuse and Recycling for more information and the National Water Reuse Action Plan.

17	Additional information available at the EPA's WaterSense Program

18	ASCE and United States Water Alliance, The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure, 2020,
available at The Infrastructure Report Card: The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure Failure-to-
Act-Water-Wastewater-2020-Final.pdf (infrastructurereportcard.org)

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provided $15 billion for lead service line replacement and $4 billion to address PFAS and
emerging contaminants. The CWSRF was provided $1 billion for remediation of PFAS and
emerging contaminants. A sizable portion of the funds will be available to communities as loans
with principal forgiveness or grants to eligible recipients. In addition, the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law created a new $5 billion grant program to help small or disadvantaged
communities identify and address emerging contaminants. Since FY 2022, states and the EPA
SRF programs have been working together to make changes to meet the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law mandates, to increase SRF assistance to disadvantaged communities and to
provide needed funding to communities in a timely and expeditious manner. Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law funding is now flowing to communities across the nation. With the addition
of the funding, the DWSRF has already provided approximately $4.3 billion in additional
assistance to America's drinking water utilities.

Over the last decade, Congress has created new grant programs for the EPA that target specific
infrastructure needs. In 2014, the WIFIA program was created to help communities in new ways
by providing low interest loans with long and flexible repayment options. The Water
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN) grants aid underserved communities and
schools, including through targeted lead testing and reduction programs. WIIN and America's
Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 strengthened many existing programs within the EPA while
creating new programs to tackle significant public health concerns and environmental needs,
including a new, competitive Drinking Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability grant
program. Given the continued challenges facing the water sector and the nation, the EPA will
continue to push to increase water infrastructure investments.

As the Office of Water and co-regulatory partners continue work to address the growing
challenges facing the nation's water sector, the focus will be to:

•	Target Resources to Underserved Communities: Low-income, small and rural
communities are disproportionately impacted by water-related challenges. The Office of
Water, in line with the administration's Justice40 and environmental justice
commitments, is creatively leveraging its resources and influence to help overcome
historic hurdles these communities often face in accessing water infrastructure funding.
For FY 2023, the EPA's DWSRF provided a record amount of approximately $1.8 billion in
assistance to about 600 disadvantaged communities. The EPA recognizes that many
small and overburdened or underserved communities are unaware of funding
opportunities or lack the capacity to develop competitive funding applications, and
therefore simply have not applied for SRF loans in the past. To help ensure that low-
income, underserved, small and rural communities can better access the funding, the
Office of Water leverages the efforts of its water technical assistance priority area
(described later in this document) to help these communities.

•	Advance Climate Resilience: The Office of Water will develop strategies to encourage
that funds be used for climate mitigation, adaptation, coastal and drought resilience,
nature-based and green infrastructure, water conservation and reuse, ecosystem
preservation and restoration, and similar activities.

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•	Build an Inclusive Water Workforce: To rebuild the middle class and provide economic
opportunity for all, the Office of Water will invest in strategies that bring
underrepresented communities into the water workforce, train them for the water
economy of the future and promote family-supporting jobs and high-road labor
practices.

Lead Service Line Replacement: Reduce exposure to lead in water and remove lead sources from
homes and schools.

The EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that there is no known safe
level of lead exposure for children. Taking action to reduce these exposures can improve health
outcomes. Children living in communities overburdened by pollution and other health and
social stressors—often communities of color and lower socioeconomic status—are at greater
risk. For example, lead-based paint, lead service lines and plumbing fixtures containing lead are
more likely to be found in older houses in lower-income areas. Communities of color may also
face greater risk due to the legacy of redlining, historic racial segregation in housing and
reduced access to environmentally safe and affordable housing. Industrial sources of lead are
more likely to be closer to lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color where soils
in residential and public places can be contaminated.

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially
where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The
most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and fixtures. Homes
built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes that connect the home to the water main,
also known as lead services lines. Lead service lines are typically the most significant source of
lead in the water. Among homes without lead service lines, the most common problem is with
brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and plumbing with lead solder. To address corrosion of
lead and copper into drinking water, the EPA is offering the following support:

•	Lead and Copper Rule Revisions: In 2021, the EPA completed the review of the Lead
and Copper Rule Revisions under Executive Order 13990 and announced the
development of a new regulation, Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, to better
protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water. In FY 2024, the EPA
proposed the Lead and Copper Rule: Improvements regulatory action. The proposed
rule requirements would result in the replacement of all lead service lines as quickly as
feasibly possible. The EPA proposed to consider opportunities to strengthen tap
sampling requirements and explore options to reduce the complexity and confusion
associated with the action level and trigger level, with a focus on reducing health risks in
more communities. The goal of these potential lead service line replacement regulatory
improvements—coupled with non-regulatory actions—is to protect public health more
equitably.

•	Funding that Supports Lead Service Line Replacement: There are still six to ten million
lead service lines in cities and towns across the country. Addressing lead in drinking
water and removing lead service lines is one of the EPA's top priorities. Administrator

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Regan is calling for a bold and comprehensive vision for reducing lead exposure largely
through infrastructure loan and grant programs. For example, the DWSRF already
permits full lead service line replacement. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides
$15 billion dedicated to lead service line replacement projects and the associated
activities connected to identification, planning, design and replacement of lead service
lines. The WIIN Reducing Lead grant can also be used for lead service line replacement.
Authorized under WIIN, the Lead Testing and Reduction in School and Child Care
Program Drinking Water Grant creates a voluntary program to assist with testing for
lead in drinking water at schools and child care programs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law expanded the authority of the Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program
Drinking Water Grant to include remediation and replacement, directly prioritizing the
impact of lead exposure to the nation's most vulnerable population.

• Protecting Vulnerable Populations by Providing Resources to Schools and Child Care
Facilities: Children living in poverty are disproportionately at risk of health impacts from
exposure to lead in drinking water. The EPA chairs a multi-stakeholder, federal
partnership workgroup that provides resources and assistance to test, remove or
remediate lead in schools and child care facilities. This interagency workgroup works
together to provide information on health concerns associated with lead in drinking
water and helps develop lead testing programs using the EPA's 3Ts (Training, Testing
and Taking Action). The workgroup also helps connect schools and child care facilities
that find lead in their drinking water with funding resources for remediation, such as the
United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Community Facilities Grant programs.

Water Workforce: Help recruit, train and retain the next generation of the water workforce.

Each day communities and businesses depend on America's water infrastructure for everything
from drinking a glass of water to irrigating the crops that support the nation's food
supply. Behind each of these daily routines are the hundreds of thousands of skilled workers
that comprise America's water sector workforce. These water protection specialists provide
communities with vital water services that protect public health and the environment, while
driving the nation's economy.

Currently, water utilities struggle to recruit, train and retain employees. As treatment
approaches and technologies in the water sector become more advanced (e.g., state-of-the-art
water reuse technologies), there is a growing need to train and employ water protection
specialists with technical skills. The gap in a skilled and ready water workforce presents
significant operational risks to drinking and wastewater utilities.19

The EPA's existing Water Sector Workforce Initiative set a foundation for many partners to
collaborate and take a wide range of actions to help address the critical need to ensure a
trained and diverse water workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The water
workforce lacks diversity, and many people of color and those from low-income or Indigenous

19 Additional information on the EPA's American Water Sector Workforce Initiative document, including the skill
gap in the water workforce sector, is available at the EPA's American Water Sector Workforce Initiative.

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communities have been left out of important, rewarding and family-supporting careers across
the sector. Apprenticeship and training programs alone can prepare people to have high-
paying, meaningful professions that support the water sector and economic development in
their communities. One of the objectives of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is to invest in
strategies that afford opportunities to individuals from underrepresented communities to
become part of the water workforce, train them for the water economy of the future, and
promote family-supporting jobs and high-road labor practices. The Office of Water will also
collaborate with the job-oriented federal partners of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership
(e.g., AmeriCorps, utilities, non-governmental organizations [NGOs] and academic partners) to
expand innovative workforce development initiatives in Urban Waters partnership locations
and through nationwide communities of practice.

The Office of Water has been leading a multi-year, interagency effort with the United States
departments of Agriculture, Education, Labor and Veterans Affairs to develop a report to
Congress about the major challenges faced by the water and wastewater utility workforce. The
report offers a comprehensive summary of workforce development programs and resources
that communities can leverage toward training, recruiting and retaining knowledgeable staff.

Cybersecurity: Assist water and wastewater utilities to prepare, identify, respond and recover
from cyberattacks.

The frequency and potential severity of cyberattacks against critical water infrastructure
continues to grow. Many critical infrastructure facilities have experienced cybersecurity
incidents that led to the disruption of a business process or critical operation. Cyberattacks on
water or wastewater utilities' business, enterprise or process control systems can cause
significant harm by:

•	Upsetting treatment and conveyance processes by opening and closing valves.

•	Overriding alarms or disabling pumps or other equipment.

•	Defacing the utility's website or compromising the email system.

•	Stealing customers' personal data or credit card information from the utility's billing
system.

•	Installing malicious programs like ransomware, which can disable business enterprise or
process control operations.

These attacks can compromise the ability of utilities to provide clean and safe water to
customers, erode customer confidence and result in financial and legal liabilities.

Many water and wastewater utilities, particularly small systems, lack the resources for
information technology and security specialists to start a cybersecurity program. Some utilities
believe that cyberattacks do not present a risk to their systems or feel that they lack the
technical capability to improve their cybersecurity.

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The EPA will ensure that the water sector is aware of threats posed by cyberattacks and provide
resources and assistance to states and systems so they understand how to prepare for, identify,
respond to and recover from cyberattacks.

The DWSRF may be used to develop effective cybersecurity practices and measures at drinking
water systems.20 The set-asides can be used to conduct assessments and to develop
improvement plans and emergency response strategies. The loan fund can be used to fund the
installation of cyber-related infrastructure, which may include upgrading information
technology and operational technology.

Providing Water Technical Assistance

Ensuring Equitable Access to Water Infrastructure Funding Through Water
Technical Assistance

All communities deserve access to clean, safe and reliable water. But too many communities
across America face challenges in providing safe drinking water, wastewater and stormwater
services to their residents. Ensuring eligible communities have access to congressionally
appropriated funds, especially funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a critical aspect
of administering the SRF and grant programs. The EPA recognizes that existing environmental
gains cannot be preserved, nor further progress achieved, unless states, Tribes, local
governments and NGOs have the resources to develop and sustain environmental projects. To
aid in that effort, the EPA is providing Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) to help
communities build their capacity and address compliance challenges.

Water utilities and communities may request technical assistance support by filling out a short
online WaterTA Request Form.21 The EPA then reviews eligibility and coordinates with their
state to determine the best way to meet their needs.

The EPA's WaterTA Implementation Memo: Ensure all communities have access to free
assistance.

WaterTA helps communities identify water challenges, develop plans to build technical,
financial and managerial capacity, and develop application materials to access water
infrastructure funding. The EPA collaborates with states, Tribes, territories, community partners
and other key stakeholders to implement WaterTA efforts. The result is more communities with
access to federal funding, which leads to more communities with safe, reliable water services.22
The Office of Water's WaterTA guidance includes the following values and approaches that
should inform every aspect of implementing WaterTA programs:23

20	More information available at the EPA's Supporting Cybersecurity Measures with the DWSRF

21	Available at the EPA's Water Technical Assistance Programs.

22	A summary of the EPA's WaterTA and the resources available to local municipalities, Tribes, communities and
entities eligible for the EPA water infrastructure funding programs is available at the EPA's Water Technical
Assistance (WaterTA).

23	Additional information is available at the EPA's Water Technical Assistance Programs.

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•	Target and Focus on the Needs of the WaterTA Recipient: Direct WaterTA is provided
via direct interactions with water utilities and communities. It will include concrete
actions that put communities on the path to accessing SRF funding. Direct WaterTA goes
beyond one-time workshops, webinars, trainings or conferences and instead involves
the services identified in the table below.

•	Meet Technical Assistance Recipients Where They Are: Direct WaterTA starts with
what the water utility/community needs to make progress, then works to deliver
support. Technical assistance services will be informed by the technical, managerial and
financial constraints of the technical assistance recipient.

•	Culturally Competent and Engages Broader Community: Direct WaterTA should be
provided in a culturally competent manner, cognizant of community sensitivities, to
support the recipient of technical assistance in building community trust. In each
community, efforts will be made to support technical assistance recipients to engage
the broader community.

•	Partner with States, Tribes, and Territories: The EPA and WaterTA providers will
partner with state SRF, clean water and drinking water programs, along with Tribes,
territories, other federal agencies, local governments and community groups, to meet
the technical assistance needs of communities. Every aspect of the EPA WaterTA - from
the work itself to how the EPA and its WaterTA providers facilitate meetings and
participate in discussions - should be done through a lens of partnership. When an
element or approach of the EPA's WaterTA does not work for a partner entity, efforts
should be made to understand the challenge and then collaboratively develop solutions
in a manner that respects differing opinions and approaches, while adhering to the EPA
requirements.

•	Coordinate to Complement Existing Technical Assistance Efforts and Avoid
Duplication: The EPA and WaterTA providers will work closely with states and other
federal partners to avoid multiple WaterTA providers contacting the same community
or duplicating the provision of WaterTA services. This includes coordinating with other
EPA-funded technical assistance providers such as the Environmental Justice Thriving
Communities Technical Assistance Centers and the Technical Assistance for Brownfields
program. The EPA and WaterTA providers will also coordinate to streamline interactions
with states, avoiding multiple WaterTA providers making similar requests for
information to the same state agency.

•	Be Proactive: The EPA and WaterTA providers will proactively collaborate with states,
Tribes and territories to offer technical assistance. The agency recognizes that it can be
a burden for communities to access technical assistance services on their own and that
many communities get stuck at some point in the process.

Examples of Services that Qualify for WaterTA

EPA WaterTA aims to assist communities with applications for accessing and utilizing federal
funding for quality infrastructure and reliable water services. The EPA's technical assistance can
cover a various services, from planning and assessing a potential water improvement project to

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providing management support. The following table includes a few examples of services the
EPA's WaterTA providers can offer.

Planning and
Assessment

Project
Development

Partnerships and
Engagement

Funding and
Financing

Program
Management
Support

Community
Engagement

Preliminary
Engineering
Reports

Ongoing
Engagement and
Outreach

Rates and
Revenue Analysis

Bid Support

Plan Development
and Coordination

Lead Service Line
Inventories

Decision-Maker
and Board
Education

Financial Planning

Change Order
Review

Studies and
Assessments

Project Design

Water Systems
Partnerships

Identify Funding
Options

Project Inspection

Asset
Management

Environmental
Reviews

Capacity-Building

Application
Support

Domestic
Preference and
Davis Bacon
Assistance

Note: WaterTA cannot provide direct assistance to federal facilities or indivic

uals/individual

households.

Key Water Technical Assistance Programs

In recent years, the Office of Water has expanded its technical assistance efforts to help more
communities address their water quality challenges. Following is a selection of WaterTA
programs available to local municipalities, Tribes, communities and other eligible entities.24

Environmental Finance Centers: There are 29 Environmental Finance Centers25 available to
help communities across the country access federal funding for infrastructure projects that
improve public health and environmental protection. The Environmental Finance Centers will
deliver targeted technical assistance to local governments, states, Tribes, territories and NGOs
to protect public health, safeguard the environment and advance environmental justice.

Through the Environmental Finance Centers grant program, technical assistance providers will
help communities develop and submit project proposals, including SRF applications for
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. The Environmental Finance Centers will support
underserved communities with technical assistance to identify and implement sustainable
infrastructure solutions. These entities will provide technical assistance services to advance
equitable health and environmental protection. The Environmental Finance Centers have a
requirement to coordinate with the other technical assistance providers (e.g. Environmental

24	A complete list of WaterTA programs is available at the EPA's Water Technical Assistance Programs.
https://www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure/water-technical-assistance-programs.

25	Additional information on the EPA's Environmental Finance Centers.

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Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers, the EPA's Office of Land and
Emergency Management Technical Support Centers, etc.) to ensure that work is not duplicative
and is making the best use of federal funding. As work continues to expand for all technical
assistance providers, the program offices are meeting on ways to best coordinate on-the-
ground activities and work across technical assistance programs.

Rural, Small and Tribal Community Training and Technical Support for Clean Water: In 2023,
the EPA announced nine organizations selected to provide technical assistance to rural, small
and Tribal communities to help municipalities plan for and access funding for projects eligible
under the CWSRF. This program supports local municipal wastewater and decentralized
wastewater technical, managerial and financial capacity development to improve compliance
and protect water quality.

Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems Funding: In May 2023, the EPA announced
four awards to provide training and technical assistance to small drinking water and
wastewater systems as well as private well owners. This program aims to improve water quality
and build capacity and long-term sustainability of small system operations.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Technical Assistance Pilots: The EPA will continue to share
resources and lessons learned from three targeted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law WaterTA
initiatives started in 2022. The three pilot initiatives were:

•	H2O Community Solutions Teams, which have supported 29 communities in assessing
water infrastructure needs, while making progress in accessing federal Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law funding.

•	Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap, in partnership with USDA's Rural
Development, is assisting 11 underserved areas with significant decentralized
wastewater needs (or no wastewater infrastructure at all) to access funding.

•	Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators - the EPA partnered with Connecticut,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to accelerate lead service line replacement and
support access to funding across approximately 40 communities.

Get the Lead Out Initiative: Building on the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators, the
EPA launched the Get the Lead Out Initiative in November 2023 to expand lead service line
technical support nationwide.

Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap: In 2024, the pilot effort will expand to further assist
communities across the country with decentralized wastewater access needs.

Engineering Support Services: In 2024, the EPA will provide access to engineering services to
complement WaterTA efforts and to assist communities in completing preliminary engineering
reports or other technical documentation that is needed to support applications for
infrastructure funding assistance. This new WaterTA program element responds directly to a
gap identified by states and technical assistance providers.

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Lagoon Action Plan: In 2024, the EPA will move to provide tools and technical assistance in
cooperation with states and regions in support of the Lagoon Action Plan released in 2023.26

Addressing PFAS

Taking Concrete Actions to Tackle PFAS Contamination

PFAS contamination is an urgent public health and environmental issue facing communities
across the United States. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries in
the United States and around the world since the 1940s, and they are still being used today.
Because of the duration and breadth of use, PFAS can be found in surface water, groundwater,
soil and air from remote rural areas to densely populated urban centers. A growing body of
scientific evidence shows that exposure to specific PFAS at certain levels can adversely impact
human health and other living things. Research is also under way to better understand the
health effects associated with low levels of exposure to PFAS over prolonged periods of time,
especially in children. Children may be more sensitive to the harmful effects of PFAS and can be
exposed more than adults.

Federal, Tribal, state, territorial and local governments need to exercise increased and
sustained leadership to accelerate progress to clean up PFAS contamination, prevent new
contamination and make game-changing breakthroughs in the scientific understanding of PFAS.
The EPA Council on PFAS developed a strategic roadmap27 to lay out the EPA's whole-of-agency
approach to addressing PFAS. To deliver needed protections for the American people, the
roadmap sets timelines by which the agency plans to take specific actions. The Office of Water
is responsible for several critical actions in the PFAS Roadmap within its SDWA and CWA
authorities.

Many known and potential sources of PFAS contamination (including military bases, airports,
industrial facilities, and waste management and disposal sites) are located near people of color
and low-income and Indigenous communities. When acting on PFAS, the EPA will ensure that
overburdened and vulnerable communities have equitable access to solutions. Consistent with
the commitments in the EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap, the Office of Water intends to:

•	Complete nationwide monitoring for PFAS in drinking water under the Fifth Unregulated
Contaminant Monitoring Rule.

•	Implement the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS proposed in March
2023 and scheduled for finalization in early 2024.

o The Office of Water will facilitate a state EPA workgroup to support the
development of relevant and useful tools and resources for the successful

26	Additional information on the Lagoon Action Plan is available at the EPA's Lagoon Wastewater Treatment
Systems.

27	Available at the EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA's Commitments to Action 2021-2024

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implementation of the final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for
PFAS.

•	Restrict PFAS discharges from industrial sources through a multifaceted Effluent
Limitations Guidelines program, including upcoming proposed rules in 2024 for organic
chemicals, plastics and synthetic fibers and for metal finishing, and a future proposed
rule for landfills.

•	Leverage NPDES permitting to reduce PFAS discharges to waterways.

o The Office of Water will continue to work with the EPA's regional offices and
state partners to make progress on the recommendations contained in the EPA's
December 2022 memorandum on "Addressing PFAS Discharges in NPDES
Permits and Through the Pretreatment Program and Monitoring Programs."

•	Continue to address PFAS by validating and codifying analytical methods, developing
and publishing ambient water quality criteria and benchmarks, monitoring fish tissue for
PFAS and finalizing a list of PFAS for use in fish advisory programs.

•	Finalize a risk assessment for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane
sulfonic acid (PFOS) in biosolids to help direct future management of biosolids
contaminated with these PFAS.

•	Develop risk communication materials for specific PFAS actions and coordinate with co-
regulators and other stakeholders prior to release.

Both the CWSRF and DWSRF have funds eligible for use to address PFAS, as does the Public
Water System Supervision (PWSS) Grant. Additionally, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
provides $10 billion in relief for communities affected by PFAS and other emerging
contaminants, including $4 billion for the DWSRF, $1 billion for the CWSRF and $5 billion for the
Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities drinking water grants.

Protecting and Restoring Waterbodies and Watersheds

Delivering integrated and Diverse Solutions to Water Challenges

Pollution and degradation of lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, coastal and ocean waters
endanger aquatic ecosystems, threaten the safety of drinking water, compromise water quality
planning and flood protections, impact commercial and recreation opportunities, and reduce
the natural benefits these resources provide to communities. The effects of pollution on
ecosystems and communities are made worse by the changing climate. The EPA needs to use
both regulatory and non-regulatory programs to protect and improve water quality and
ecosystem health in the nation's watersheds as well as estuarine, coastal and ocean waters.
The EPA will work collaboratively with partners and stakeholders to establish innovative,
location-based programs to achieve the agency's goals, including identifying and considering
environmental justice and civil rights concerns. For example, in 2024, EPA's Watershed
Academy will be releasing a public, practitioner learning module to showcase opportunities for
the EPA and its partners to better integrate environmental justice into water quality work
under the Clean Water Act.

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Actions to Protect and Improve Water Quality

Supporting Implementation of the Definition of Waters of the United States: In August 2023,
the EPA and the Department of Army issued a final rule to amend the final Revised Definition of
Waters of the United States rule to conform the definition to the United States Supreme
Court's May 25, 2023 decision in the case of Sackett v. EPA. The agencies are committed to
taking actions to improve implementation of the definition of "Waters of the United States."
The agencies will continue to provide trainings to Tribes, states and the public as appropriate to
promote clarity and consistency and will continue to post materials and outreach opportunities
to the EPA's website.

Supporting Implementation of CWA Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement
Rule: In September 2023, the EPA revised the water quality certification regulations to support
an efficient and predictable certification process that is consistent with the water quality
protection and cooperative federalism principles central to CWA Section 401. The EPA will
continue developing implementation materials (e.g., templates, trainings) for states, Tribes,
federal agencies and project proponents to support implementation of the final rule.
Additionally, the EPA will develop additional implementation materials specifically geared
toward Tribes interested in obtaining treatment in a similar manner as a state (TAS) for Section
401 through the new TAS provisions under the final rule.

Update CWA Section 404(g) State and Tribal Dredged and Fill Program Regulations: Section
404 of the CWA requires a permit be issued prior to the discharge of dredged or fill material
into "Waters of the United States." CWA Section 404(g), allows states and Tribes the option to
assume administration of a Section 404 program for certain "Waters of the United States." In
response to state and Tribal requests for clarity, the EPA proposed to revise the 1988
regulations, which will address program requirements, implementation, enforcement and EPA
oversight. This rulemaking is key to assisting states and Tribes interested in actively managing
the discharge of dredged and fill material into their aquatic resources consistent with the CWA.

Promulgation of Tribal Baseline Water Quality Standards Under CWA: The EPA is finalizing a
rule to establish Tribal baseline water quality standards for waters on Tribal land that do not
have water quality standards in effect for CWA purposes. This rulemaking recognizes the
importance of Tribal waters and the need to better protect the water resources on which Tribes
rely. Over 80% of Tribal land currently does not have water quality standards in effect for CWA
purposes. Establishing baseline water quality standards would ensure human health and
environmental protection for these waters and would support Tribes' interests in protecting
their water quality.

Revisions to the Federal Water Quality Standards Regulations to Protect Tribal Reserved
Rights: The EPA is finalizing a rule to the water quality standards regulations at 40 CFR Part 131
to explicitly and sustainably protect Tribal reserved rights (e.g., treaty rights) in state waters,
consistent with existing legal obligations. Many Tribes hold reserved rights to resources through
treaties and equivalent agreements with the United States government on lands and waters

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where states have jurisdiction to establish water quality standards. The regulation changes
being considered are intended to help states and the EPA protect aquatic and aquatic-
dependent resources reserved to Tribes in treaties and equivalent agreements when
establishing, reviewing and revising water quality standards.

Evaluate Water Quality Standards: Water quality standards are the foundation of a wide range
of programs under the CWA. They serve multiple purposes including establishing the water
quality goals for a specific waterbody and serve as a target for CWA restoration activities such
as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The EPA will establish priorities for states that will
include updates to states' standards, climate change adaptation and environmental justice. The
agency will emphasize engaging with underserved communities in the review and setting of
state water quality standards. This work will help empower these communities to secure
adequate water quality standards for their local waters and to drive attainment of those
standards through technical assistance and stakeholder engagement. In addition, the EPA will
also update key Water Quality Standards Handbook28 chapters on Antidegradation, Designated
Uses and Water Quality Standards to assist states, authorized Tribes and territories in
implementing their water quality standards, including focus on climate adaptation.

Develop Ambient Water Quality Criteria: The EPA will continue to develop new and updated
national recommended ambient water quality criteria for the protection of human health and
aquatic life pursuant to CWA Section 304(a). The EPA will update existing water quality criteria
to reflect the latest science and develop new criteria for emerging contaminants and other
priority chemicals to meet the needs of states and Tribes. As new and updated criteria are
developed, the EPA will also work to develop technical support materials aimed at assisting
states, territories and Tribes with adopting the criteria and implementing them through the
TMDL and NPDES programs.

Prioritize and Screen Pollutants in Biosolids: The CWA requires ongoing prioritization and
assessment of chemicals found in biosolids. The EPA developed a draft standardized framework
for sewage sludge chemical risk assessment, a risk-based methodology for prioritizing and
screening chemicals found in biosolids. This framework underwent EPA Science Advisory Board
review in 2023. The EPA will consider the advisory board's recommendations as it moves to
finalize the framework and begins to prioritize and screen chemicals found in biosolids.

CWA Section 303(d) Water Quality Assessment, Listing of Impaired Waters and TMDL Vision:

The 2022-2032 Vision for the CWA 303(d) Program (2022 Vision)29 identifies opportunities to
effectively manage CWA Section 303(d) program activities to achieve water quality goals for the
nation's aquatic resources. The 2022 Vision articulates a renewal of the initial 2013 Long-Term
Vision through several goals and focus areas. The goals highlight opportunities to implement
303(d) program activities in the following categories - Planning and Prioritization, Restoration,
Protection, Data and Analysis and Partnerships. The focus areas provide four cross-cutting
themes of national, regional and local importance to consider in 303(d) program

28	Available at the EPA's Water Quality Standards Handbook

29	Available at the EPA's Vision for the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Program

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implementation - Environmental Justice, Climate Change, Tribal Water Quality and Program
Development, and Program Capacity Building.

Protecting and Restoring Aquatic Resources, Including Wetlands and Streams: The EPA's
Wetlands program will continue to provide technical and financial assistance to Tribal, state
and community partners to protect and restore wetlands and other water resources in the
United States. To enhance implementation capabilities in the CWA Section 404 program as well
as state and Tribal wetlands programs, the EPA is developing stream and wetland assessment
methods, providing regular onboard training and continuing education to permit application
reviewers, designing technical tools and improving data management to better support the
implementation and evaluation of compensatory mitigation, revising the CWA Section 404 state
and Tribal regulations, and providing other resources and support for adapting to and
mitigating the effects of climate change. In recognition of the importance of maintaining and
restoring a diverse landscape of streams and wetlands that provide multiple clean water and
habitat benefits, the EPA is cataloguing the approaches available to monitor and evaluate
dynamic stream and wetland systems historically underrepresented in compensation and
monitoring programs. The EPA, in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers, is also
developing regional streamflow duration assessment methods for identifying in a single site
visit whether streams are perennial, intermittent or ephemeral, an important factor in
determining CWA jurisdiction, conducting impact and compensation assessment, setting
appropriate water quality standards and informing other federal, state, Tribal and local
program efforts to protect and restore their water resources. The EPA is partnering with states
and Tribes to implement the National Aquatic Resource Surveys and report on condition and
trends in the nation's lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams.

Advancing Ocean and Coastal Protection: Pollution from maritime and land-based sources, sea
level rise, and other impacts from the changing climate, have left ocean and coastal ecosystems
and communities vulnerable to degraded water quality, hypoxic zones, habitat loss, and
reduced fish, shellfish and coral populations. Addressing these challenges requires the EPA to
work closely with partners from other federal agencies, Tribes, states, territories and local
communities. The EPA's national strategy for improving the condition of coastal and ocean
waters includes the following key elements:

•	Maintain the United States' leadership in London Convention and London Protocol
activities to allow for continued participation in the development of international
regulations and guidelines for ocean protection to reduce and prevent the pollution
caused by ocean dumping. The EPA serves on the United States delegation to the annual
Meetings of the Parties and leads the United States delegation to the annual Meetings
of Scientific Groups.

•	Prevent and control pollution from the ocean dumping of dredged material and
disposition of other materials in the ocean through the EPA's MPRSA permitting and site
designation, management and monitoring program, which implements London
Convention treaty requirements in the United States.

•	Designate new MPRSA sites or expand the capacity of existing sites under MPRSA to
address the increased amount of dredged material from infrastructure projects.

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•	Regulate ocean-based climate mitigation activities under the MPRSA including marine
carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management to ensure protection of human
health, the marine environment and other uses of the ocean.

•	Develop strategies to protect and restore the quality of coastal and marine habitats,
such as estuaries and coral reefs, from many stressors, including ocean acidification and
climate change.

•	Develop strategies and programs to address emerging environmental threats to marine
and coastal water quality such as ocean acidification and aquatic trash and debris.

•	Strengthen the existing Trash Free Waters program emphasis on disadvantaged
communities and finalize, in partnership with the EPA's Office of Land and Emergency
Management, the Save Our Seas 2.0-mandated Draft National Strategy to Prevent
Plastic Pollution.30 Provide strategic foresight and decision support to accelerate coastal
resilience and adaptation to climate change via the Climate Ready Estuaries program.

•	Implement the fourth National Coastal Condition Assessment in partnership with states
and Tribes to track changes in the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the
nation's coastal estuarine resources.

Geographic and Place-Based Programs: The EPA and its partners will advance progress to
protect and restore ecologically, economically and intrinsically valuable watersheds across the
nation through its geographic and place-based programs, such as the National Estuary Program
and Urban Waters Federal Partnership, by strategically focusing on the biggest threats to their
ecosystems and associated human health issues. Using a collaborative watershed approach,
these programs incorporate in their environmental protection work the principles of
environmental justice and Tribal reserved rights. The EPA's leadership at the regional and
national levels provides a foundation using technical expertise, science-based support and
funding to develop long-term strategies and actions to improve water quality, restore habitat
and foster sustainable human use. Through these programs, the EPA plays a key role as a
convener and facilitator with federal, Tribal, state, territorial and community partners to align
resources and authorities within regional, watershed and basin-scaled networks. More
specifically, the EPA's geographic and place-based programs deliver technical and financial
assistance to solve problems and support healthy, climate-resilient ecosystems that address
water quality, water infrastructure, nutrient pollution, habitat loss, treaty rights, equity and
environmental justice. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides an additional investment of
$1.7 billion for geographic programs and $132 million for the National Estuary Program to
protect and restore coastal waters.

Deepen Collaborative Partnerships with Agriculture: Support state and Tribal programs, and use
CWA framework to reduce nutrient pollution.

Nutrient pollution, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water, is one of
America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems. National Aquatic
Resource Surveys conducted by the EPA, states and Tribes report that nearly half of rivers,

30 Available at the EPA's Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution

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streams and lakes are rated poor for elevated levels of nitrogen or phosphorus.31 Too much
nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle.
Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, and decrease the
oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Some algal blooms are harmful to
humans, because they produce elevated toxins and bacterial growth that can make people sick
if they are exposed to polluted water, consume tainted fish or shellfish or drink contaminated
water. Scientists predict that climate change will intensify many of the problems impacting
freshwater and marine environments. These effects, along with nutrient pollution, might cause
harmful algal blooms to occur more often, in more waterbodies and more intensely. Algal
blooms endanger human health and the environment and can negatively impact economies
across the United States, including increasing drinking water costs where blooms are present in
source waters.

To address this challenge, the EPA will engage USDA leadership to build and maintain
connections and momentum, expand engagements with agricultural stakeholders, highlight
their success and deepen on-the-ground collaboration with USDA, Tribes, states, territories and
stakeholders in key geographic areas. The National Water Quality Initiative is one example of
strong collaboration among EPA, USDA and states.32 The EPA will strongly encourage states to
use a one-water approach to deliver a range of water quality benefits, including protection of
sources of drinking water, water-based economies, ecological health and habitat.

The Office of Water will champion innovative financing and use the flexibility of the CWA
regulatory framework to spur development of more effective technologies, build stronger
agriculture-water sector partnerships, and to drive market-based approaches, including water
quality trading, third-party credit aggregation and banking. The Office of Water will continue to
co-chair the Hypoxia Task Force, which is a central forum for five federal agencies, 12
Mississippi River Basin states and Tribal representatives to coordinate and advance the effort to
reduce the size, severity and duration of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and improve local water
quality through decreasing nutrient loads.33

A total of $60 million provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will further support
partnership efforts and implementation of nutrient reduction strategies, prioritizing strategies
that support overburdened and vulnerable communities. Finally, the EPA will continue to
evolve and implement the CWA regulatory framework. Technology-based controls for point
sources, development and implementation of strong water quality standards, and strategies for
addressing nutrients at a watershed scale remain critical. The CWA regulatory authorities are
the foundation for much of the nation's progress to date on nutrient pollution and can provide
both an incentive and backstop for collaborative approaches. The EPA will modify the NPDES
regulations to clarify that water quality trading and other market-based approaches can be
used to support compliance with NPDES permit limits. The EPA will also continue to support
state efforts to control point sources by collaborating with states to develop resources,

31	Additional information at the EPA's National Aquatic Resource Surveys

32	Additional information available at National Water Quality Initiative I Natural Resources Conservation Service
(usda.gov).

33	Additional information available at the EPA's Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force

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including trainings, case studies and summaries of state approaches to reduce nutrient
pollution and implement market-based approaches.

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SECTION III: Strengthening the Nation-to-Nation Relationship with
Tribes

For Tribes, access to clean water is essential to public health, environmental protection, cultural
activities and subsistence practices. Long-standing water challenges in Indian country are
negatively impacting Tribes. Tribal communities are more likely than other populations in the
United States to lack access to wastewater services and piped drinking water. Barriers to
addressing these and other water-related challenges for Tribes include:

•	A significant shortfall of funding to address water infrastructure needs.

•	A lack of water quality standards that enable full implementation of the Clean Water Act
on Tribal waters.

•	The need for training, professional development and retention of qualified Tribal water
and wastewater operators and program managers.

The Biden-Harris administration is committed to upholding the United States' responsibility to
the 574 federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. The Office of
Water will help deliver on this commitment by supporting Tribal Nations as they protect and
steward their waters. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's focus on strengthening
the Nation-to-Nation relationships,34 the EPA's Water Program worked in close collaboration
with the EPA's Office of International and Tribal Affairs, the EPA regional office leadership and
the National Tribal Water Council to develop a Tribal action plan, Strengthening the Nation-to-
Nation Relationship with Tribes to Secure a Sustainable Water Future.33 This action plan is the
Office of Water's roadmap for supporting Tribal Nations as they protect and steward their
waters. The plan calls for rooting decisions in sound science, enacting policy with an explicit
and intentional focus on supporting Tribal water governance and continually consulting with
Tribal government partners.

In accordance with the EPA's 1984 Indian Policy, the action plan acknowledges the unique
government-to-government relationship between the federal government and federally
recognized Tribes. Consistent with Strategy 4 of the EPA's FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan,
Strengthen Tribal, State, and Local Partnerships and Enhance Engagement, and pursuant to its
Tribal Action Plan, the Water Program will continue to improve relationships with Tribes
through partnerships, outreach and consultation. The Office of Water will seek out and
equitably distribute infrastructure funding, advance core water programs with measurable
Tribal benefits and partner with Tribes to enhance the capacity of Tribal environmental
programs. The EPA will look for more opportunities to support climate resiliency in Tribal
communities and on Tribal lands and will strive to further integrate principles of equity and

34	Additional information on the Biden-Harris administration's focus on strengthening the Nation-to-Nation
relationships is available at The White House's Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-
Nation Relationships.

35	Available at the EPA's Strengthening the Nation-to-Nation Relationship with Tribes to Secure a Sustainable Water
Future action plan

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environmental justice into work with Tribes. The actions outlined in the action plan are
important steps by the Biden-Harris administration to uphold federal trust responsibilities.

The Tribal Action Plan focuses on the following priority areas:

•	Promote Robust Coordination and Meaningful Consultation with Tribal Nations: The

Office of Water will partner with the EPA's Office of International and Tribal Affairs to
ensure robust and sustained consultation with Tribes. It will also regularly engage Tribal
representatives via advisory boards and engagement processes across programs.
Furthermore, the Office of Water will deepen its collaboration with the National Tribal
Water Council to ensure two-way communication and foster collaboration between
Tribal programs and the EPA.

•	Strengthen and Expand Water Governance in Indian Country: Fostering Tribal self-
governance and Tribal regulation of environmental resources is essential to fulfilling the
federal government's trust responsibility. The Office of Water will seek to implement
regulations, policies and guidance that align with the ability of Tribes to implement
environmental programs and protect Tribal waters and aquatic resources.

•	Increase Infrastructure Funding and Capacity Development: The Office of Water
manages several funding programs that support infrastructure development for Tribes,
including the SRF program set-asides, Public Water System Supervision Tribal Support
Grants, the Underground Injection Control Tribal Assistance Grants and WIIN grants.
The Office of Water also provides programmatic funding to support Tribal water quality
programs through grants such as the Wetland Program Development Grant, Water
Pollution Control and Nonpoint Source programs (CWA Sections 104(b)(3), 106 and
319). The Office of Water will work collaboratively with Tribes to maximize the impact
of available funding programs.

•	Honor the Federal Trust Responsibility and Protect Tribal Reserved Rights Related to
Water Resources: The Office of Water recognizes that in some circumstances, the EPA
has an obligation to take action to protect Tribal waters and aquatic resources. The
Office of Water will continue rulemaking efforts and directly implement CWA and
SDWA programs in Indian country where Tribes have not taken on these authorities.

CWA Tribal Forum: The Office of Water will organize the 2024 CWA Tribal Forum to be held in
May 2024. The forum will focus on a more advanced understanding of CWA authorities most
relevant to Tribes and the implementation of those authorities in Indian country. The forum is
intended for Tribes with experience administering water quality programs that are interested in
taking a deeper dive with CWA implementation. The forum will include discussions led by Tribal
representatives and the EPA on such topics as challenges, benefits and available tools.

Tribal Funding within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Most of the law's funding supports
water infrastructure improvements and lead service line replacement and addresses emerging
contaminants. For Tribes, funding will flow through the existing SRF Tribal set-aside programs.
The SRF Tribal set-asides, which are established through congressional appropriations, are

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anticipated to be 2% of total CWSRF and DWSRF Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program funding,
respectively.36

•	The EPA administers the CWSRF Tribal set-aside funding primarily through interagency
agreements with the Indian Health Service. The EPA's regional offices work with the IHS
and Tribes to identify, prioritize and select water infrastructure projects to receive
funding. Tribes can then manage their grants through a direct grant from the EPA or
request to have the IHS implement the project on their behalf.

•	The EPA administers the DWSRF Tribal set-aside through regional programs that
coordinate with local Tribes and the IHS to establish priorities and support project
implementation. Tribes can then manage their grants through a direct grant from the
EPA or request, at the discretion of the IHS, to partner with the IHS on implementation.

The Biden-Harris administration's relationship with Tribes is built on respect for Tribal
sovereignty and self-governance, honoring federal trust and treaty responsibilities, and
conducting regular, meaningful and robust consultation with Tribal Nations. The EPA will
communicate with Tribes and share more detailed information on the critical resources in the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, how these resources can improve Tribal communities and how
Tribes can access them as information becomes available.

36 Additional information on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Tribes is available at the EPA's Investments
in Tribal Communities.

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SECTION IV: Grant and Loan Guidance

The EPA promotes flexibility in grant work planning to address the environmental and health
priorities of Tribes, states and territories. Through the National Environmental Performance
Partnership System (NEPPS), the EPA encourages the use of PPA and Performance Partnership
Grants37 (PPG) as vehicles for continuous collaboration and for increasing administrative,
financial and programmatic flexibilities for Tribes, states and territories.38 In addition, regional
offices can consider established EPA-Tribal environmental plans to assist in conducting federal
environmental program activities in Indian country, including direct implementation and
technical and financial assistance.

Beach Monitoring and Notification Grants

The EPA awards grants under authority of The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal
Health Act to eligible states, territories and authorized Tribes to develop and implement
programs to monitor their beaches and notify the public when it is not safe to swim. Eligible
states, territories and Tribes must have approved water quality standards with beaches on
ocean or Great Lakes coasts. During each swimming season, state and local health and
environmental protection agencies monitor the quality of water at the nation's beaches. When
bacteria levels in the water are too high, these agencies notify the public by posting beach
warnings or closing the beach. The grants help local authorities monitor beach water quality
and notify the public of conditions that may be unsafe for swimming. The grant guidance,
information about the grant allotment formula, and annual allotments to states, territories and
Tribes can be found at the EPA's Beach Grants.

Public Water System Supervision Grant Guidance

The PWSS grant program is fundamental to the implementation of the national drinking water
program and is a key oversight tool utilized in partnership with states39 and Tribes to provide
safe drinking water to the American public. The Office of Water recognizes the key role of
states as co-regulators of the drinking water program, and the importance of EPA-state
coordination on implementation issues. The Office of Water intends to engage state program
representatives in implementation activities for the PFAS rule and for actions on Lead and
Copper Rule Revisions and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. In addition, the Office of
Water also recognizes the importance of consistent communication with state drinking water
programs from the EPA. The Office of Water will meet regularly with the Office of Enforcement

37	General information is available at the EPA's National Environmental Performance Partnership System (NEPPS).
Information on environmental programs eligible for inclusion in a PPG is available the EPA's NEPPS: Implementing
Performance Partnerships.

38	The EPA's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Regulations FY 2023-2024 National Program Guidance
for information on NEPPS, PPA and PPG FY 2023-2024 priorities referenced are available at the EPA's National
Program Guidances (NPGs).

39	"State" refers to states, territories and Tribes with primacy.

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and Compliance Assurance and primacy agencies to discuss Public Water System program
priorities, improve coordination and collaboration, and avoid duplication of effort.

PWSS grants are provided to states with primary enforcement authority to implement
NPDWRs. The NPDWRs set forth monitoring, reporting, compliance tracking and enforcement
elements. Grant funds are used by states to:

•	Maintain compliance data systems.

•	Compile and analyze compliance information.

•	Respond to and enforce against violations.

•	Certify labs.

•	Conduct lab analyses.

•	Conduct sanitary surveys.

•	Draft new regulations and legislative provisions where necessary.

Public Water System Supervision Grant Activities

Building on the ongoing efforts of grantees to implement the PWSS program, FY 2025-2026
priority activities for the PWSS grantees, including those directly implementing programs in
Indian Country, should include:

•	Taking targeted actions, such as training and technical assistance, to support efforts to
reduce the number of health-based violations and reduce consumer exposure to
contaminants. Programs should look comprehensively at community needs to identify
approaches to ensure sustainable compliance and should coordinate with the Office of
Water's technical assistance effort to provide assistance.

•	Submitting primacy packages for all NPDWRs to reduce the backlog of unsubmitted or
unapproved packages.

•	Completing sanitary surveys in a timely manner to meet the requirements of the law
and supporting water systems in addressing any deficiencies found.

•	Seeking opportunities to implement policies that will enhance program collaboration
with the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, Water Infrastructure Improvements for
the Nation Act and the Capacity Development programs to address noncompliance
among vulnerable systems.

•	Ensuring that compliance data submitted to the agency are accurate, complete and
submitted in a timely manner.

•	Addressing implementation of the new PFAS rule, and the Lead and Copper Rule
Revision requirements effective in 2024, including lead service line inventories.
Continuing to implement the Ground Water Rule and the Stage 2 Disinfectants and
Disinfection Byproducts Rule, which represents the largest number of health-based
violations.

•	Continuing to address simultaneous compliance challenges with the Lead and Copper
Rule. Devoting a proportion of each PWSS grant to ensuring that data are effectively
managed and that required data are submitted to the EPA such that water system

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compliance determinations are consistent with federal and state regulations; corrective
actions associated with data file reviews and annual program reviews are implemented;
and PWSS grantees submit to the EPA the required inventory, compliance and
enforcement data.

The PWSS national program is updating PWSS program-specific guidance and reference for the
EPA's regional offices that focuses on federal regulatory requirements and grant management
policies in FY 2024. The PWSS grant policy, and allotment formula can be found at Public Water
System Supervision Program Water Supply Guidance Manual. The PWSS grant allotments are
based on factors such as population, geographic area and PWSS inventory.

The Guidance and Tentative Grant Allotments to Support PWSS Programs on Tribal Lands can be
found at Final FY 2008 Guidance and Tentative Grant Allotments to Support Public Water
Systems Supervision (PWSS) Programs on Tribal Lands Memorandum.

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Guidance

This document for FY 2025-2026 includes guidance for state recipients of DWSRF program
capitalization grants.40 Grant recipients are expected to conduct their programs to help achieve
the goals, objectives and measures specified.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends the DWSRF-authorizing section of the SDWA and
allocates three new supplemental appropriations into the DWSRF each year between FY 2022
and FY 2026, inclusive. These supplemental appropriations total approximately $30.7 billion
over those years. These appropriations are in addition to base appropriations anticipated each
year.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends SDWA 1452 to:

•	Reauthorize the DWSRF through 2026.

•	Offer states new methods of delivering additional subsidies to underserved
communities.

•	Increase the amount of required additional subsidies that states must provide to
disadvantaged communities.

•	Make the American Iron and Steel procurement provision permanent.

•	Add a new Build America, Buy America procurement requirement.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contains provisions for several grants to be administered
separately as part of the DWSRF program.

40 Additional information on DWSRF grant programs available at the EPA's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
(DWSRF)

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General Supplemental: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides DWSRF funding for any
DWSRF-eligible project and activity. States will apply for a capitalization grant with a 20% state
match in FY 2024-2026. The states provide below-market interest loans and principal
forgiveness or grants under this appropriation.

Lead Service Line Replacement Supplemental: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides
DWSRF funding for eligible projects limited to lead service line replacement and associated
activities related to identification, planning, design and removal of lead service lines. States will
apply for a capitalization grant with no state match required. The states provide below-market
interest loans and principal forgiveness or grants to replace lead service lines under this
appropriation.

Emerging Contaminant Supplemental: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides DWSRF funds
for eligible projects addressing emerging contaminants with a focus on PFAS. States may apply
for a capitalization grant with no state match required. The states will provide principal
forgiveness and grants to fund drinking water infrastructure projects to address emerging
contaminants, with a focus on PFAS, under this appropriation.

Further guidance to states on the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can be
found at the EPA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law SRF Memorandum.

In FY 2025-2026, the EPA and states are taking appropriate and timely steps to ensure that all
CWSRF and DWSRF funds move as expeditiously as possible from the EPA through states and
into high-priority projects, consistent with sound program oversight, achieving the public health
protection objectives of the SDWA. This includes a continued emphasis on cash flow modeling
and assisting drinking water systems in most need of financial and technical assistance. The
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Lead Service Lead Replacement and Emerging Contaminants
eligibilities are consistent with, and often broader than, requirements that have been proposed
under the PFAS rule and the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

At their discretion, states may reserve up to approximately 31% of any DWSRF capitalization
grant for set-asides to fund DWSRF program administration, small system technical assistance,
state program management and local assistance. This includes:

•	Support for the state PWSS programs.

•	State-wide operator certification programs.

•	State-wide capacity development planning.

•	System source water protection.

•	System-level capacity development actions.

To ensure the appropriate balance between financing capital projects to improve the delivery
of safe water and funding non-capital set-aside assistance for water systems, the PWSS
program in each state has the primary responsibility for determining the priority for providing
assistance to water systems. This balance of funding priorities is to be reflected in the state's

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intended use plan. The SDWA requires that states submit an annual intended use plan that
details how the state will use DWSRF program funds, including new capitalization grants, as
well as other grant funds, repayments and other resources. The Project Priority List is a
cornerstone element of the intended use plan and presents all the capital projects awaiting
DWSRF assistance in priority funding order. The SDWA further requires states to include a
fundable list showing the specific projects that the state anticipates being ready to proceed to
when receiving assistance that year. Additionally, the SDWA requires states to submit set-aside
workplans detailing how set-aside funds will be used. The SDWA also requires states to submit
a biennial report that explains how DWSRF funds were used. Finally, the SDWA requires states
to submit annual data on program performance. Auditing is required to the extent laid out in
The Single Audit Act.

The EPA's regional offices perform annual on-site reviews of state programs, including project
file reviews and financial performance analysis. The EPA headquarters conducts transaction
testing. These reviews serve as the EPA's baseline monitoring for the DWSRF and are the
culmination of the regional office's oversight of the SRF programs. These reviews also reinforce
priorities and build a framework for ongoing conversations over the next fiscal year. The annual
review guidance and checklists have been substantively edited and restructured to
institutionalize SRF priorities and to make it easier to use and understand. The revisions include
highlighting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law priorities reflected in the March 2022 Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law Memo41 - themes also reflected in the Office of Water priority areas of
climate change, equitable access, remediating PFAS and investing in water infrastructure.

The DWSRF grant allotments are based on the Drinking Water Needs Survey's results. State-by-
state allotments, territorial funds and the total amount available to each region for Tribes is
available at Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Emerging Contaminants in Small and Disadvantaged Communities Grant
Program

This new $5 billion grant program was authorized under SDWA 1459A and enacted and
appropriated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The initial implementation guidance,
published in February 2023, includes technical and implementation guidance for recipients of
the emerging contaminants funding, which is administered non-competitively to states and
territories, with a Tribal program set-aside. The document supports grant recipients through
the expected planning and execution of their programs, including achieving the goals,
objectives and reporting measures of the program. The EPA distributed $2 billion, the first two
years of allotments, in February 2023, and the program is working with recipients to make the
initial awards.

Eligible activities include:

41 Available at the EPA's Implementation of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Provisions of
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Memorandum.

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•	Efforts to address emerging contaminants in drinking water that would benefit a small
or disadvantaged community on a per-household basis.

•	Technical assistance to evaluate emerging contaminant problems.

•	Programs to provide household water quality testing, including testing for unregulated
contaminants.

•	Local contractor training.

•	Activities necessary and appropriate for a state to respond to an emerging contaminant.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends the subsections (a) through (j) of Section 1459A of
the SDWA (42 U.S.C. 300j-19a). The amendment includes appropriations of $5 billion between
FY 2022 and FY 2026 to address emerging contaminants in small and overburdened or
underserved communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides these grant funds for
eligible projects addressing emerging contaminants with a focus on PFAS. Projects that address
a contaminant listed in any of the EPA's Contaminant Candidate Lists are also eligible. States
will use the grants to assist public water systems in small or disadvantaged communities that
are unable to finance activities to comply with drinking water regulations and to respond to
drinking water contaminants. There is no state match requirement.

The EPA will release updated guidance to states on the implementation and allocation of
emerging contaminants funding in FY 2024, along with new annual allotments. This information
will be available on the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant
website.

Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expands the WIIN Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care
Drinking Water Grant program with funding for eligible grant work to include compliance
monitoring and lead reduction and remediation activities, in addition to testing. Additionally, it
expands on the eligible recipients to include Tribal consortia, public water systems located in
states that do not directly participate in the grant program and qualified nonprofit
organizations. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expands the WIIN Reducing Lead in Drinking
Water Grant program to include all lead service line replacement as eligible, not just public-
owned lead service line replacements.

The EPA released additional guidance to eligible recipients on the implementation of lead
remediation and/or replacement activities funded through the grants in FY 2023. It is available
on the WIIN Act grant programs website.

Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program

This grant program is designed to help public water systems in small, underserved and
disadvantaged communities meet and comply with SDWA regulations by providing funding for

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drinking water projects and activities. Funding is awarded to states, territories and Tribes on
a noncompetitive basis. Examples of qualifying project activities include, but are not limited to:

•	Treatment.

•	Transmission and distribution.

•	Source.

•	Storage.

•	Creation of new systems.

•	Consolidation.

•	Household water quality testing, including for unregulated contaminants.

•	Providing households access to drinking water services.

•	Assistance to increase technical, managerial and financial capacity.

•	Drinking water contamination response efforts.

Implementation guidance is available on the EPA's WIIN Grant: Small. Underserved, and
Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program website.

Underground Injection Control Grant Guidance

State and Tribal grant recipients are expected to implement their programs to help achieve the
goals, objectives and measures specified in this guidance.42

The overall objective of the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Grant program is to protect
public health by enforcing minimum requirements to ensure that:

•	All injection is authorized under general rules or specific permits.

•	Injection well owners and operators do not site, construct, operate, maintain, convert,
plug, abandon or conduct any other injection activity that endangers an underground
source of drinking water.

•	Injected fluids stay within the well and the intended injection zone.

•	No injection occurs which allows for the introduction of any contaminant into an
underground source of drinking water if the presence of that contaminant may cause a
violation of any primary drinking water standard or otherwise adversely affect public
health.

To assist owners and operators of UIC facilities in meeting these objectives, grantees will need
to adopt a variety of approaches and coordinate efforts with other groundwater protection
programs. FY 2023-2026 priority activities for the UIC grant fund recipients should include:

42 40 CFR 144.3 "State" means any of the 50 states or commonwealths, the District of Columbia, Guam, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or an Indian Tribe treated as a state.

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•	Maintaining program capacity to implement UIC program requirements for all classes of
wells.

•	Ensuring that Class I, II and III (salt solution) wells that lose mechanical integrity are
returned to compliance.

•	Addressing high-priority Class V wells.

•	Submitting data through the EPA's UIC Data Application.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized a UIC Class VI grant program to be administered
separately from the UIC Grant. The UIC Class VI grant program will provide funds to state and
Tribal government agencies for the establishment and implementation of UIC Class VI primacy
programs that oversee underground injection activities in UIC Class VI wells to prevent
contamination of underground sources of drinking water. UIC Class VI wells are utilized for
carbon sequestration.

Further guidance on the implementation UIC program can be found at the EPA's Underground
Injection Control Grants.

Clean Water State Revolving Fund Guidance

This document for FY 2025-2026 includes guidance for state recipients of CWSRF program
capitalization grants. Grant recipients are expected to conduct their programs to help achieve
the goals, objectives and measures specified.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends the CWSRF-authorizing section of the CWA and
appropriates two new supplemental appropriations into the CWSRF each year between FY 2022
and FY 2026, inclusive. These supplemental appropriations total approximately $11.7 billion in
funds over those years. These appropriations are in addition to base appropriations anticipated
each year.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends CWA Title VI to:

•	Reauthorize the CWSRF through FY 2026.

•	Offer states new methods of delivering additional subsidies to underserved
communities and eligible project types defined under CWA 603(i).

•	Increase the amount of required additional subsidies that states must provide to
underserved communities and eligible project types defined under CWA 603(i).

•	Allow states to use up to 2% of their annual capitalization grant to aid nonprofit
organizations or state, regional, interstate or municipal entities to provide technical
assistance to rural, small and Tribal publicly owned treatment works.

•	Add a new Build America, Buy America procurement requirement.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contains provisions for several grants to be administered
separately as part of the CWSRF program.

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General Supplemental: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides CWSRF funding for any
CWSRF-eligible project and activity. States will apply for a capitalization grant with a 20% state
match in FY 2024-2026. The states provide below-market interest loans and principal
forgiveness or grants under this appropriation.

Emerging Contaminant Supplemental: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides CWSRF funds
for eligible projects addressing Emerging Contaminants. States may apply for a capitalization
grant with no state match required. The states will provide principal forgiveness and grants to
fund drinking water infrastructure projects to address emerging contaminants under this
appropriation.

Further guidance to states on the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can be
found at the EPA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law SRF Memorandum.

The EPA will continue to strengthen oversight of the program through effective implementation
of its federal requirements. The EPA will continue to work with states to increase demand
through marketing and outreach, including providing technical assistance (e.g., surveys and
focus groups) to CWSRF programs to identify state-specific marketing opportunities and
identifying exceptional projects for national recognition through the CWSRF Performance and
Innovation in the CWSRF Creating Environmental Success program.

In FY 2025-2026, the EPA and states should take all appropriate and timely steps to ensure that
all CWSRF and DWSRF funds move as expeditiously as possible from the EPA through states and
into high-priority projects, consistent with sound program oversight, achieving the
environmental and public health protection objectives of the CWA and SDWA. This includes a
continued emphasis on cash flow modeling and assisting drinking water systems in most need
of financial and technical assistance.

CWA Section 604(b) Grant Guidance

Each year, under Section 604(b), the EPA provides noncompetitive funding to states and
territories to conduct essential water quality management planning and management activities
jointly with area planning organizations.43 Eligible activities include characterizing the quality of
waterbodies, the impacts of pollution on human health and the environment and developing
strategies to protect high-quality waters and restore degraded waters. Under section 604(b),
approximately 1% of each state's or territory's CWSRF capitalization grant amount(s) (or
$100,000 if greater) is reserved to carry out planning under sections 205(j) and 303(e) of CWA.

In June 2022, the EPA issued interim implementation guidelines,44 which provide information
on how the EPA will administer Section 604(b) grants for FY 2022-2026 as states and territories

43	Additional information about Section 604(b) Grants is available at the EPA's Water Quality management
Planning Grants.

44	Available at the EPA's Interim Implementation Guidelines for Clean Water Act Section 604(b) Water Quality
Management Planning Grants for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026 Memorandum

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utilize approximately $127 million in additional funding provided by the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law. The guidelines help states and territories build on their successes and more
fully integrate equity, environmental justice and climate considerations into water quality
planning efforts.

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Guidance

The WIFIA program is a government bank that provides long-term, low-cost, supplemental
loans for regionally and nationally significant water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
Eligible public and private borrowers can finance a wide variety of wastewater, drinking water,
water reuse, stormwater and other water quality improvement capital projects with WIFIA
loans. Borrowers applying for WIFIA loans must be creditworthy and demonstrate that they can
repay the federal government over the loan's term. For more information, visit the EPA's Water
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act website.

CWA Section 106 Grant Guidance

Grant recipients are expected to conduct their programs to help achieve the goals, objectives
and measures specified in this guidance. In addition, the Section 106 website45 includes specific
guidance for state, interstate and Tribal grant recipients in these Section 106 grant guidance
areas.

Section 106 grant guidance covers Water Pollution Control program activities, including water
quality standards, water quality monitoring, impaired waters listing and TMDL development,
401 certification, 404 permitting, and NPDES permitting, enforcement and compliance. High-
priority activities for the EPA for FY 2025-2026 include:

•	Supporting states' and Tribes' adoption of sound, scientifically defensible water quality
criteria to protect designated uses.

•	Coordinating with states, territories and Tribes to implement National Aquatic Resource
Surveys to assess the quality of the nation's coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs, rivers
and streams, and wetlands using a statistical survey design.46

•	Supporting enhancements to monitoring programs addressing additional state and
Tribal priorities.

•	Supporting implementation of the Assessment TMDL Tracking and Implementation
System (ATTAINS) data flow for submission of integrated reporting under CWA Sections
303(d) and 305(b) through technical assistance and Exchange Network Grants.

•	Working with states, territories and Tribes on listing of impaired waters and priority
TMDLs, other restoration plans, and protection approaches under the CWA Section
303(d) Program Vision. Support Tribes interested in adopting and implementing CWA
Section 303(d) listing and TMDL program for reservations.

45	Available at the EPA's Water Pollution Control (Section 106) Grants

46	Additional information available at the EPA's National Aquatic Resource Surveys

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FY 2025-2026

•	Incorporating new NPDES regulations, policies and other programmatic changes,
continue implementation of significant actions identified during permit and program
quality reviews, ensure state and territory NPDES permit application forms are as
stringent as current regulations for the EPA application forms, continue implementation
of the NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule, consider impacts due to climate change in the
permitting process, and where appropriate, identify environmental justice and Title VI
civil rights factors that could inform the development of effective approaches within the
authority of the NPDES program.

•	Supporting states and Tribes interested in assuming the Section 404 Dredged and Fill
Permit program and provide technical assistance in program development and
implementation to ensure programs are consistent with the CWA.

•	Encouraging states and territories to, as appropriate, propose monitoring requirements
at facilities where PFAS are expected or suspected to be present in wastewater and
stormwater discharges, using the EPA's recently published analytical method 1633,
which addresses 40 specific PFAS.

CWA Section 319 Grant Guidance

Section 319 of the CWA awards grants to states, territories and Tribes to manage polluted
runoff programs and implement local projects to restore and protect water quality impacted by
nonpoint source pollution (NPS).47 Section 319 grants are awarded via an allocation formula.
Under FY 2023 appropriation levels, funding ranged from about $1 million to $9 million per
state. States strategically guide the funds to priorities in their NPS Management Plan,
supporting state staff, monitoring, watershed restoration projects, technical assistance and
other activities.

In FY 2023, the EPA set aside 7.6% of the annual Section 319 appropriation to Tribes and
articulated a long-term target of increasing the Tribal Section 319 set-aside to 12% to meet
Tribal NPS program needs more fully. In FY 2024, there are 214 federally recognized Tribes
eligible for Section 319 grants. The EPA continues to see active program growth in the Tribal
NPS program, with an average of four Tribes becoming newly eligible for Section 319 grants
each year.

States, territories and Tribes structure their NPS programs to fit their needs and priorities,
develop five-year NPS Management Plans and take the lead in project selection, management
and water quality monitoring. The EPA applies guidelines for the allocation and effective
utilization of federal funds. It also provides programmatic oversight and assistance, technical
assistance, and a national framework for measures reporting and success documentation.

Funds address diverse sources of polluted runoff with at least half of funds implementing on-
the-ground projects to address problems such as acid mine drainage, unpermitted urban

47 Additional information about Section 319 grant funding and the current grant guidance is available at the EPA's
319 Grant Program for States and Territories

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FY 2025-2026

runoff, failing septic systems and streambank erosion.

At the national level, program priorities are to:

•	Continue supporting state, territory and Tribal programs with programmatic and
technical assistance.

•	Continue Section 319 program and funds management.

•	Annually approve state and Tribal workplans and issue grants.

•	Advance equity and inclusion in the delivery of NPS water quality benefits.

•	Advance climate resilience and adaptation through technical support and reporting
approaches.

•	Ensure Section 319 funds are targeted in a technically sound and effective approach to
address priority NPS pollutants and impairments identified in the grantee's NPS
management program plan.

•	Provide national leadership partnering with the EPA programs (e.g., CWSRF) and federal
programs, in particular building on the Office of Water's longstanding relationship with
USDA, as well as growing a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, to focus on the co-benefits of water quality projects and risk reduction from
natural hazards such as flooding and drought.

•	Provide leadership for national scale NPS initiatives including the National Water Quality
Initiative with USDA and the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force with five federal
agencies and 12 Mississippi River Basin states.

Wetland Program Development Grants

Since 1990, the Wetland Program Development Grants have been funded to support state,
Tribal and territorial wetland projects and wetland strategic plans.48 The program goal is to
build state, Tribal, territory and (to a lesser extent) local wetland programs. Areas of funding
include monitoring and assessment, regulatory development, voluntary restoration and
wetland water quality standards. Program vehicles included regional Request for Applications
(RFAs) for states, Tribes, territories, interstate agencies, and intertribal consortia; Tribal-only
RFAs for Tribes and intertribal consortia; national RFAs for non-profit NGOs, interstate agencies,
and intertribal consortia; a Five-Star RFA for non-profit NGOs, interstate agencies, and
intertribal consortia; and a National Association of Wetland Managers noncompete assistance
agreement. Thus far, there have been 51 states and territories, over 70 Tribes (not including
intertribal organizations), and many local governments that have received funding for activities
authorized under CWA Section 104(b)(3) for research, investigations, experiments, training,
demonstrations, surveys and studies.

The Wetland Program Development Grants regulations indicate that these funds must be

48 Additional information about the Wetland Program Development Grants is available at the EPA's Wetland
Program Development Grants and EPA Wetlands Grant Coordinators.

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FY 2025-2026

competed and require a percentage match. However, if placed in PPG, it may be as low as 5%
for states and territories and 0% for Tribes.

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FY 2025-2026

SECTION V: FY 2025 National Water Program Measures

Subject Area

Measure Language

Comments/Notes

Infrastructure

Billions of non-federal dollars
leveraged by the EPA water
infrastructure finance programs
(SRF and WIFIA)



Infrastructure

Number of American Indian and

Data for this metric come



Alaska Native homes provided

from the Indian Health



access to basic sanitation

Service. The IHS started
tracking this data in a
different way, and the
EPA will no longer be
able to report on this
metric. The EPA is
exploring an alternative
measure.

Infrastructure

Number of Tribal, small, rural or
underserved communities provided
with technical, managerial or
financial assistance

Includes Tribal component

Infrastructure

Number of drinking and wastewater
systems and water sector partners
provided with resiliency training



Infrastructure

The number of program evaluation
reports (PERs) finalized within 90
days of the completion of state
DWSRF annual reviews (count)



Infrastructure

The number of PERs finalized within
90 days of the completion of state
CWSRF annual reviews (count)



Drinking Water

Community water systems still in
noncompliance with health-based
standards since March 31, 2021



Drinking Water

Community water systems in Indian

Tribal metric added to the



country still in noncompliance with

EPA's FY 2022-2026 Strategic



health-based standards

Plan

Drinking Water

Percent of community water
systems in compliance with health-
based standards



Drinking Water

Systems Out of Compliance Due to
Lead and Copper Rule Violations



Drinking Water

Number of lead service line

New metric beginning in FY



replacements funded

2024

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FY 2025-2026

Subject Area

Measure Language

Comments/Notes

Drinking

Number of lead service line

New metric beginning in FY

Water/Environmental

replacements funded in

2024

Justice

disadvantaged communities (as
defined by states)



Drinking Water

Number of engagements that
improve technical, managerial and
financial capacity of drinking water
systems



Drinking Water

Public Water Supervision System
(PWSS) program reviews completed
by the Regions for each primacy
agency in the corresponding year



Drinking Water

State PWSS rule primacy
applications in backlog



Underground Injection

The EPA Permit Backlog - New UIC



Control





NPDES49

Number of existing the EPA-issued
NPDES individual permits in backlog

Includes Tribal component

NPDES50

Number of applications for new the
EPA-issued NPDES individual
permits in backlog

Includes Tribal component

NPDES51

Number of facilities covered by the
EPA-issued NPDES general permits
in backlog



NPDES

Number of applications for new
NPDES individual permits for
facilities on Tribal lands in backlog



NPDES

Number of existing NPDES
individual permits for facilities on
Tribal lands in backlog



NPDES

Percent of existing state-issued
NPDES individual permits in backlog



NPDES

Percent of facilities covered by
state-issued NPDES general permits
in backlog



49	For NPDES permit backlog metrics, existing permits (both individual and general) are considered backlogged
when they have been administratively continued for 180 days or more.

50	For this NPDES permit backlog metric, applications for new permits are considered backlogged 365 days after a
complete application has been received.

51	For all NPDES general permit backlog metrics, construction stormwater permits are excluded due to the unique
nature and ever-changing, large universe for those permits.

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FY 2025-2026

Subject Area

Measure Language

Comments/Notes

Total Maximum

Square miles of priority areas



Daily Loads

covered by TMDLs, other



(TMDLs)

restoration plans or protection
approaches



TMDLs

Backlog of the EPA action on TMDLs



Impaired Waters

Annual increase in square miles of
watersheds with surface water
meeting standards52



Impaired

Percent of NEP BIL Funds Award



Waters/Bipartisan





Infrastructure Law





Impaired Waters

Square miles of watersheds
previously impaired due to nutrients
that now meet standards



Impaired Waters

Backlog of the EPA action on 303(d)
Lists



Impaired Waters

Outstanding State submission of
303(d) lists



Impaired Waters

Number of primarily NPS-impaired
waterbodies partially or fully
restored by NPS program actions



Water Quality

Report on the quality of the nation's

The EPA, state, and Tribal



waters - percent of samples

National Aquatic Resource



processed

Surveys

Water Quality

Percent of water quality standards



Standards

actions taken within the 60- or 90-
day statutory deadlines



Water Quality

Number of Tribes with the Clean

Tribal metric

Standards

Water Act effective Tribal or federal
water quality standards



Water Quality

Number of Tribes with treatment in

Tribal metric

Standards

a similar manner as a state for
water quality standards



Water Reuse Action

Total number of actions to advance



Plan

water reuse (both active and
complete)



52 The EPA recognizes that additional waters may be listed as impaired, (e.g., as new data) and information become
available for assessments and water quality standards are changed/developed. The EPA establishes a universe of
impaired waters as part of the strategic planning process. It is from this universe that progress is measured. Any
new impaired waters that are added during a state's subsequent bi-annual Integrated Report do not count against
this measure but would be reflected in subsequent strategic plans.

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FY 2025-2026

SECTION VI: Key Contacts

Subject Area

Contact Name

Email

Drinking Water

Eric Bissonette

bissonette.eric@epa.gov



Travis Cummings

cummings.travis@epa.gov

Underground Injection Control

Eric Bissonette

bissonette.eric@epa.gov



Travis Cummings

cummings.travis@epa.gov

Infrastructure

Eric Bissonette

bissonette.eric@epa.gov



Travis Cummings

cummings.travis@epa.gov



Nick Chamberlain

chamberlain.nick@epa.gov



Katherine Stebe

stebe.katherine@epa.gov



Mark Mylin

mylin.mark@epa.gov

NPDES

Katherine Stebe

stebe.katherine@epa.gov



Jackie Clark

clark.jackie@epa.gov

Water Quality

Istanbul Yusuf

yusuf.istanbul@epa.gov

TMDLs

Istanbul Yusuf

yusuf.istanbul@epa.gov

Impaired Waters

Istanbul Yusuf

yusuf.istanbul@epa.gov

Water Quality Standards

Lenny Bankester

bankester.lenny@epa.gov

Water Reuse Program and WRAP

Sharon Nappier

nappier.sharon@epa.gov

National Estuary Program

Mindy Eisenberg

eisenberg.mindy@epa.gov

Ocean and Coastal

Betsy Valente

valente.betsy@epa.gov



Katherine Weiler

weiler.katherine@epa.gov

Wetlands, Clean Water Act

Russell Kaiser

kaiser.russell@epa.gov

Section 404 Program

Betsy Valente

valente.betsy@epa.gov

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FY 2025-2026

APPENDIX
List of Acronyms

Acronyms

Term

ATTAINS

Assessment TMDL Tracking and Implementation System

CWA

Clean Water Act

CWSRF

Clean Water State Revolving Fund

DWSRF

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

EPA

United States Environmental Protection Agency

FY

Fiscal Year

IHS

Indian Health Service

MPRSA

Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act

NEPPS

National Environmental Performance Partnership System

NGO

Non-Governmental Organization

NPDES

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

NPDWRs

National Primary Drinking Water Regulations

NPS

Nonpoint Source Pollution

NWPG

National Water Program Guidance

PFAS

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

PFOA

Perfluorooctanoic Acid

PFOS

Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid

PERS

Program Evaluation Reports

PPA

Performance Partnership Agreement

PPG

Performance Partnership Grant

PWSS

Public Water System Supervision

RFA

Request for Applications

SDWA

Safe Drinking Water Act

SRF

State Revolving Fund

TAS

Treatment in a Similar Manner as a State

TMDL

Total Maximum Daily Load

UIC

Underground Injection Control

USDA

United States Department of Agriculture

WaterTA

Water Technical Assistance

WIFIA

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act

WIIN

Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act

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