EMERGING CONTAMINANTS IN SMALL OR DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES GRANT Under the Bipartisan infrastructure Law (BiL), enacted and funded in 2021, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) section 1459A added a new grant focus: Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program. The grant is administered under § 300j-19a., the Assistance for small and disadvantaged communities section of the statute amending subsections (a) through (j) of SDWA section 1459A. This is the same statute under which the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WilN) Act prioritizes compliance and water accessibility via drinking water infrastructure through the Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities (SUDC) Grant Program. The new grant program specifically addresses emerging contaminants across small or disadvantaged communities and focuses on projects that address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and/or any contaminant listed in EPA's Contaminant Candidate Lists. FUNDING AMOUNT OBJECTIVE: TACKLING FOREVER CHEMICALS $1B annually (FY22-FY26) will be allocated to states, territories, and tribes based on several factors that determine need This grant funds eligible projects or activities addressing emerging contaminants, with a focus on PFAS. The grant program is anticipated to systematically support the reduction of exposure by the general public to PFAS and other contaminants through their drinking water. States will prioritize the grants to assist public water systems in small or disadvantaged communities that are unable to finance activities needed to address emerging contaminants in drinking water. FUNDING DETAILS WHO RECEIVES FUNDING APPROACH There is no match or cost- share requirement. FOCUS Small or disadvantaged communities STATES, TERRITORIES, AND TRIBES will receive allotments of funding annually It is anticipated that the states will expand their Intended Use Plan (IUP} project listings to communities that are eligible for grant funding but may not qualify for State Revolving Fund funding. This list can be the first, but not the only, source of eligible projects to fund in order to meet the objectives of the grant program. TIMING An allotment memorandum has been released in February 2023 Funding is anticipated to be awarded to participating states and territories as early as FY2023 The implementation document has been made available on EPA's EC-SDC Grant website States and territories will have through the end of each fiscal year to submit applications for project awards ------- DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SUDC GRANT AND THE EC-SDC GRANT SUDC EC-SDC Authorized Under WIIN Authorized and appropriated under BIL 10% cost share 0% cost share Requires the community be underserved1 Does not require the community to be underserved1 Focuses on compliance and access to drinking water services Focuses on emerging contaminants "Underserved" refers to communities that do not have adequate access to drinking water or wastewater services. IMPLEMENTATION The FY2022 implementation of the EC-SDC Grant Program will be documented to include technical and implementation guidance for recipients of the emerging contaminants funding under SDWA1459A, enacted and appropriated through BIL. The document will support grant recipients through the expected planning and execution of their programs, while also achieving the goals, objectives, and reporting measures of the program. The implementation document has been made available on EPA's EC-SDC Grant website in February 2023. EXAMPLES OF ELIGIBLE PROJECTS For a project to be eligible for funding, the project must be located in a small or disadvantaged community. A project proposal submitted must also indicate in the narrative that the primary purpose for funding is to address emerging contaminants in drinking water. EPA anticipates these projects will prioritize the reduction of PFAS as the primary contaminant. All other projects addressing any emerging contaminant, as long as said contaminant is listed in EPA's Contaminant Candidate Lists, are also eligible for funding. EXAMPLES OF ELIGIBLE PROJECTS INCLUDE: Build new treatment facilities with emerging contaminant removal capability Upgrade existing treatment facilities (i.e., expanding/adding new treatment equipment) Source exploration and new source development Consolidation with another water system that does not have emerging contaminants present or has removal capability Project planning and design Pilot testing for treatment alternatives Project pre-development activities Technical assistance to diagnose emerging contaminant problems at their water systems Incorporating training on PFAS and emerging contaminants into state operator certification materials System training to show operators how to conduct the monitoring for emerging contaminants or special-purpose monitoring at a facility that has not previously tested for emerging contaminants Laboratory testing equipment such as supplying water test kits and instructions to households Source water protection activities such as implementation of voluntary source water protection activities in delineated drinking water source areas (as defined in SDWA section 1453) ------- |