Clean Watersheds Needs Survey Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Needs Factsheet Data collection for the 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) opened on March 1st, 2022! State CWNS coordinators are collecting data to estimate the capital investment needed over the next 20 years for clean water projects, including stormwater and green infrastructure projects. Data collection will close on February 28th, 2023. What stormwater and green infrastructure projects can be included in the survey? Stormwater and green infrastructure projects could include those at permitted or unpermitted stormwater infrastructure systems or combined sewer overflow correction facilities. For a project to be included in the 2022 CWNS, it must be: • Eligible for funding under the national • Unfunded as of January 1st, 2022 (i.e. funds been committed to the project) • Expected to be constructed within the Eligible stormwater and green infrastructure projects must have a water quality benefit (i.e., direct stormwater quality treatment or stormwater discharge volume reduction that could result in water quality benefits). For example, any green infrastructure that prevents stormwater from reaching combined systems or techniques such as disconnecting downspouts are eligible projects. Stormwater management projects could incorporate gray infrastructure, green infrastructure, or general stormwater management activities. What documentation is required to report a need? In general, investment needs reported in the CWNS must be supported by documentation that has not been generated solely for the CWNS survey (e.g., capital improvement plans, asset management plans, integrated plans, long-term stormwater plans). This documentation should What is the CWNS and why is it important? The Clean Water Act requires EPA to assess the needed capital investment for all Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)- eligible projects nationwide and report the findings to Congress. To accomplish this, EPA conducts the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey, which also tracks trends in the level of wastewater treatment for the U.S. population and informs some funding allocations at the state and federal levels. Survey results are used in part to determine grant amounts for the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants Program. The data are also publicly available and used by academic and professional organizations (e.g., in the American Society of Engineers Report Card for America's Infrastructure). CWSRF guidelines , construction has not started nor have external CWNS 20-year planning horizon (2022-2041) Examples of eligible stormwater projects: • Gray infrastructure (e.g., traditional pipe, storage, and treatment systems; real-time control systems for CSO management, sediment controls) • Green infrastructure (e.g., bioretention, constructed wetlands, permeable pavement, rain gardens, green roofs, cisterns, rain barrels) • General stormwater management (e.g., stormwater education program startup costs, stormwater management plan development, stormwater management program implementation) ------- include either a project description, a cost estimate, or both. If documentation that describes needed projects exists but it does not have the associated costs, the CWNS coordinator may be able to use one of the Cost Estimation Tools that EPA has developed for the survey. If no documentation exists, the CWNS coordinator can develop a state-specific approach to estimate needed projects and/or costs and submit that to EPA for approval. A state-specific approach can be proposed to EPA when the state does not have project-specific documentation but has data that can be used to estimate certain needed projects that are expected to occur in the next 20 years. What are some ways I can help my state's CWNS coordinator report needed stormwater or green infrastructure projects? • Request documentation from local communities and provide it to your state CWNS coordinator • Provide regional or state-wide documents to your state CWNS coordinator that may include needed projects or cost data • Work with your state CWNS coordinator to develop a state-specific approach to estimate costs that are not documented To find your state's CWNS coordinator, visit https://www.epa.gov/cwns/state-cwns-proqram- contacts. For more information, contact: • EPA CWNS Contacts: Josh Klein Klein.Joshua@epa.gov and Elisabeth Schlaudt Schlaudt.Elisabeth@epa.gov • EPA Stormwater We bsite: https ://www. epa.gov/n pdes/n pdes-stormwater-prog ram • EPA Green Infrastructure Website: https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/what- green-infrastructure • EPA Green Infrastructure Contacts: https://www.epa.gov/green- infrastructure/forms/contact-us-about-green-infrastructure ------- |