District of Columbia
Intended Use Plan for
Safe Drinking Water Act Funds
Federal Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 (Public Law 104-182) authorize a
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program to assist public water systems to
finance improvements needed to achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements and
to protect public health. Although the District of Columbia ("the District") is defined as a State
for the purposes of SDWA, Section 1452(j) exempts the District from establishing a State
Revolving Fund program. Therefore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides
the District's allotment of Federal funds in the form of grants. The District of Columbia Water
and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is the grantee for project grants while the DC Department of
the Environment (DDOE) and its agent, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office at Blue Plains,
can receive funds for oversight and management of these projects.
EPA, DDOE, and DC Water have agreed to this combined Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 - FY 2024
Intended Use Plan. This Intended Use Plan outlines how the combined amount of Federal
funding and required matching funds will be apportioned among program and project uses. The
Federal Fiscal Year 2023 runs from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023; and the Federal
Fiscal Year 2024 runs from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.
LONG AND SHORT-TERM GOALS FOR THE USE OF DC GRANT FUNDS
Long-Term Goals
1. Provide safe and adequate supplies of potable water by correcting problems with and
maintaining adequate facilities for drinking water storage and distribution. Emphasis is
placed on projects designed to correct deficiencies, which pose a potential threat to public
health.
2. Maintain compliance with SDWA drinking water standards or other requirements of the
SDWA.
Short-Term Goals
1. Implement near term projects as identified in DC Water's Water System Facilities Plan.
2. At this time, there are no requirements to prioritize or establish a specific goal to fund "green
projects" as defined by the EPA. "Green projects" were previously defined by EPA as
meeting one of the following four categories: water efficient, energy efficient, green
infrastructure, or environmentally innovative. However, should "green projects" become a
requirement, as they have been in the past, project funding and prioritization may be affected
to comply with this requirement. Absent any such requirement or agreement by DC Water,
the District Department of the Environment, and EPA, the listed projects will be funded in
priority order and on their readiness to proceed.
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AVAILABLE FUNDS
While the FY 2023 has been determined, the FY 2024 DWSRF allotment has not yet been
established. But for purposes of planning, we have assumed that the FY 2024 DWSRF allotment
will approximately be that of the FY 2023 DWSRF allotment or $4,938,000. When the final
amount for the FY 2024 DWSRF allotment is determined and made available by Congress, the
available fund amount will be adjusted accordingly. It should be noted that some previously
grant funded projects may be completed for less money than anticipated. This may result in
surplus grant funds becoming available for reuse. The use of any "carryover" or surplus grant
funds that may be recovered during this period will be used to fund new unfunded projects or
past under-funded projects in priority order.
If Congress authorizes any supplementary funds during this period, these funds would be
directed in accordance with this Intended Use Plan, the Project Priority List and process
described below unless otherwise modified by Congress or EPA.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS
For FY 2023 and FY 2024, the available funding and expected usage is as follows:
Available Federal Funds
Grant Dollars
Estimated Surplus Funds from previous years (Prior to FY 2023) Note 1
$0
FY 2023 DWSRF Allotment
$4,938,000
FY 2024 DWSRF (Estimated Allotment)
$4,938,000
Total Estimated Federal Funds (FY 2023 - 2024)
$9,876,000
Project Pool that may be submitted for grants during FY 2023 & FY 2024
(in priority ranking order)
Soldiers' Home Transmission Main
[FY'24]
$7,036,733
Water Main on Bridges Repairs Contract I
[FY'24]
$2,925,000
Water Mains on Bridges II
rFY'231
$1,940,000
Spring Place NW (w/Sewer A433)
[FY'23]
$2,637,923
Rehabilitation of the 66" Steel 8th St Low Service Main
[FY'24]
$18,394,500
Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 16c
[FY'23]
$15,780,000
Small Diameter Water Main Rehab 18a
[FY'23]
$12,000,000
Small Diameter Water Main Rehab 18b
[FY'231
$12,000,000
Small Diameter Water Main Rehab 18c
[FY'24]
$13,340,000
Small Diameter Water Main Rehab 19a
[FY'24]
$18,860,000
Small Diameter Water Main Rehab 19b
[FY'24]
$18,795,000
WSSC Interconnection
[FY'241
$5,302,000
FY 2024 DWS Water Project
[FY'241
$14,517,000
Ft. Reno Pump Station Upgrades -1
[FY'24]
$6,430,000
Rehabilitation of Elevated Water Storage Tanks
[FY'24]
$5,000,000
Ft. Stanton Reservoir No. 1 Rehabilitation
[FY'23]
$7,128,000
Out of Service LDWM Elimination
[FY'231
$8,810,000
Total Grant Project Pool
$170,896,156
Grant awards may not exceed estimated, recovered, and available grant funds
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Note
As of this date, there are no surplus grant funds available from previously funded
projects. However, surplus grant funds may arise as existing grant funded projects are
completed during FY 2023 and FY 2024. Any surplus grant funds recovered will be used
to supplement allotted grant funds. The use of surplus or "carryover" funds will be
directed toward either new unfunded projects or past under-funded projects in priority
order or as may be agreed upon by EPA, DDOE, and DC Water.
Total Estimated Federal and Local Funds Available for FY 2023 - FY 2024
Funds
Estimated Federal Funds for DC Water Projects (80% grant)
$136,716,925
Estimated Local Funds for DC Water Projects (20% match)
$34,179,231
Total Available Funds for FY 2023 and FY 2024
$9,876,000
EPA allows DC Water to receive Federal Funds at the 80% level. These grants require a
20% local match.
DC Water will increase its local match level if sufficient Federal funds are not available for a
project to be fully funded in order not to impede the project or its construction. As future
Federal funds become available, DC Water may request additional funds to cover any shortfall in
Federal funding. It should also be noted that DC Water's Capital Improvement Program is not
wholly dependent upon Federal funding. Many DC Water projects proceed without any Federal
funds.
SELECTION OF PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED
In 1999, EPA in conjunction with DC Water developed a Project Priority Rating System. The
Project Priority Rating System uses a system to numerically score drinking water projects based
upon their contribution to protecting public health, improving compliance with regulatory
standards, and maintaining drinking water reliability, safety and environment. The ranking
system includes a provision allowing for funding of lower ranked projects (i.e. for by-passing
higher ranked projects) based on exigent circumstances and implementability of the lower ranked
projects relative to the higher ranked projects proposed to be by-passed.
The Project Priority List (PPL) is routinely updated to remove projects when grants are awarded,
to reflect new estimated costs and schedules, and to include new projects. This FY 2023- 2024
PPL, is a two-year project funding plan and revises and supersedes the previously approved FY
2021 - FY 2022 PPL, which will expire on September 30, 2022. The plan identifies expected
projects to be funded during the FY 2023 - FY 2024 period. Projects are displayed on the PPL in
priority order. The project with the highest priority rating score (i.e., the most important) is listed
first. The remaining projects are listed in order of descending score.
A more detailed description of these and future water projects can be found online at DC Water's
website under "District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority: Capital Improvement Program,
Approved FY2018- 2027, Section V, Capital Programs".
https://www.dcwater.com/sites/default/files/finance/budgets/2019/FY%202019%20Capital%20Improvem
ent%20Program revised%207-19-18 .pdf
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