Water

$6.5 Billion For Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrades Includes $3 Billion for LCRR Efforts

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced the availability of $6.5 billion for States, Tribes, and U.S. territories for essential drinking water infrastructure upgrades across the nation through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The $6 billion boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aims to increase the investments available to rebuild the nation’s water … Read more

$30 Million Available for Great Lakes Projects

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) new Great Lakes Environmental Justice Grant program aims to advance environmental justice in underserved communities across the Great Lakes Basin. The USEPA announced $30 million is available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for restoration projects that advance environmental justice in underserved and overburdened communities across the Great Lakes. USEPA … Read more

How Asset Management Programs Benefit Utilities

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Asset Management Program

Utilities have recently experienced increased capital, operation, and maintenance costs. The cause in many cases can be attributed to aging infrastructure that was built in the last century. In addition, heightened regulatory requirements associated with the implementation of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act increased the cost of compliance while the upcoming … Read more

Financial Capability Guidance for CWA Compliance

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Clean Water Act guidance

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recently announced updated Clean Water Act (CWA) Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance to help communities ensure public health protections and financial feasibility as they make plans to comply with the CWA. The Guidance outlines strategies for communities to follow to support affordable rates while planning investments in water infrastructure essential … Read more

Influencing Water Use: Inclining Block Rate Structures

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Water use is as predictable as it is unpredictable. Factors outside the control of water system managers heavily influence water use – weather conditions, user demographics, economic conditions, etc. Tools available to system managers primarily include educational efforts, incentive programs that reward customers for installation of water-saving devices, and rate structuring/pricing. Scientific research related to … Read more

Changes to SRF Program and the Connection to the LCRR

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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) created new Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program allocations over the next five years for lead service line replacement and inventories. This is a great opportunity for water systems to access additional grant funding (loan forgiveness) to complete lead service line inventories (LSLI) required by the Lead and Copper … Read more