District of Columbia
Intended Use Plan for
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Safe Drinking Water Act Funds
Federal Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024
EMERGING CONTAMINANTS
The recent passage of the Public Law 117-58, the "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law" (BIL), also
known as the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act", provided significant funding for the
modernization and maintenance of an aging infrastructure drinking water system.
The BIL provided a Supplemental Base allotment, a Lead Service Line Replacement allotment,
and an Emerging Contaminant allotment to the Safe Drinking Water SRF Program. This
document is submitted for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 to identify the projects intended for the
Emerging Contaminant allotment.
DC Water proposes to replace unlined cast iron water mains with EPA funding under the
emerging contaminant need. Unlined cast iron water mains are known to harbor microorganisms
and deplete chlorine residual, thereby allowing accelerated microbial growth. (See reference)
The EPA Candidate Contaminant List 5 includes twelve microorganisms. (See reference) Both
legionella and mycobacterium have been detected at low levels in some portions of the water
distribution system. Although these do not constitute a health risk at these low levels, it is
prudent to eliminate any surfaces, e.g., pipe surfaces, that may provide habitat for microbial
growth.
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.
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LONG AND SHORT-TERM GOALS FOR THE USE OF DC GRANT FUNDS
Long-Term Goals
1. Eliminate potential habitat for "emerging microbial contaminants" as listed by the US
Environmental Protection Agency.
2. Provide safe and adequate supplies of potable water by replacing aging small diameter water
mains in the distribution system. Equity was part of the prioritization model to emphasis
small diameter water main replacement in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
3. Maintain compliance with SDWA drinking water standards or other requirements of the
SDWA.
Short-Term Goals
1. Replacing unlined cast iron small-diameter water main could have following improvements
to the system:
• Improve fire flows through the removal of corrosion by-products from the inside of the
pipe.
• Eliminate lead service by replacing the service connections along with the small
diameter water mains
• Improve water quality
• Reduce main break
• Reduce O&M costs
• Increase system reliability to respond to emergencies
AVAILABLE FUNDS
As there was not an approved FY 2022 BIL SDW PPL/IUP, this document includes funding for
the fiscal years of 2022, 2023, and 2024. For purposes of planning, we have assumed FY 2024
DWSRF allotment of approximately $7,640,000.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS
For FY 2022, 2023 and FY 2024, the available funding and expected usage is as follows:
Available Federal Funds
Grant Dollars
FY 2022 DWSRF Emerging Contaminants (Carryover)
$7,555,000
FY 2023 DWSRF Emerging Contaminants
$7,640,000
FY 2024 DWSRF Emerging Contaminants (Estimated Allotment)
$7,640,000
Total Estimated Federal Funds (FY 2022 - 2024)
$22,835,000
Project Pool that may be submitted for grants during FY 2023 & FY 2024
Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 18A [FY'23]
$11,805,000
Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 18B [FY'24]
$11,160,000
Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 18C [FY'24]
$12,997,000
Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 19A [FY'24]
$12,848,000
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Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 19B [FY'24]
$17,952,000
Small Diameter Water Main Renewal 19C [FY'24]
$16,903,000
Total Grant Project Pool
$83,665,000
Grant awards may not exceed estimated, recovered, and available grant funds
Total Estimated Federal and Local Funds Available for FY 2022 - FY 2024
Funds
Estimated Federal Funds for DC Water Projects (100% grant)
$22,835,000
Estimated Local Funds for DC Water Projects (0% match)
$0
Total Available Funds for FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024
$22,835,000
The BIL provides a 0% match for the five years of the enactment.
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 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".
The White House's Justice40 initiative goals have been factored in and attained. Several of the
projects listed have been identified in Disadvantaged Communities as defined by CEJST. Please
see attached map.
REFERENCES
Debbie Lee, Calendo Gennaro, Kopec Kristin, Henry, Rebekah, Coutts, Scott, McCarthy David,
Murphy Heather. (2021), "The Impact of Pipe Material on the Diversity of Microbial
Communities in Drinking Water Distribution Systems" Microbiotechnology. Volume 12 - 2021,
doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.779016.
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US Environmental Protection Agency, "Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) and Regulatory
Determination - CCL 5 Microbial Contaminants" Website https://www.epa.gov/ccl/ccl-5-
microbial-contaminants
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