The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released a new guide to help the 51 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) programs apply best practices for handling nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. The CWSRF is the nation’s largest financial resource dedicated to the purpose of addressing water quality problems. NPS pollution remains the nation’s largest water quality challenge.
Each State and Puerto Rico uses the USEPA-administered CWSRF program to operate their own water infrastructure bank established for the sole purpose of combatting water pollution from both point and nonpoint sources within their boundaries. As such, each State CWSRF program defines its own goals and operating policies, while also following Federal requirements.
The USEPA developed the CWSRF Best Practices Guide for Financing Nonpoint Source Solutions to share the collective wisdom from States that have achieved success. The guide suggests strategies and key elements needed to expand the use of CWSRF resources to address priority needs as specified in state NPS management program plans, and it identifies potential obstacles and how to overcome them. Lastly, the guide provides helpful case studies of successful and innovative partnerships underway across the country.