About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 (June 14, 2005)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabdcb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22037 Updated June 14, 2005 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: Program Overview and Issues Mary Tiemann Specialist in Environmental Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary In the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 (P.L. 104-182), Congress authorized a drinking water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program to help public water systems finance infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and to protect public health. Under the program, states receive capitalization grants to make loans to water systems for drinking water projects and certain other SDWA activities. Since the program was first funded in FY1997, Congress has provided $7.8 billion, including roughly $844 million for FY2005. The President has requested $850 million for FY2006. Through June 2004, the DWSRF program had provided $7.9 billion in assistance and had supported 6,500 projects. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) 2001 survey of capital improvement needs for public water systems found that these systems need to invest $150.9 billion on infrastructure improvements over 20 years to ensure the provision of safe water. Several new standards and security concerns have increased these needs. Key issues include the gap between estimated needs and funding; SDWA compliance costs, particularly for small systems; and the broader need for cities to improve their water infrastructure, apart from SDWA compliance. This report will be updated. The 104th Congress substantially revised the Safe Drinking Water Act with the 1996 SDWA Amendments. A key new provision, Section 1452, authorized a drinking water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program to help public water systems finance improvements needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and to address the most serious risks to human health. The law authorizes EPA to make grants to states to capitalize DWSRFs. States must match 20% of the federal grant and develop intended use plans that indicate how allotted funds will be used. States may use the DWSRF to provide loans and other assistance to eligible public water systems for expenditures that EPA has determined will facilitate SDWA compliance or significantly further the Act's health protection objectives. Eligible projects include installation and replacement of failing treatment facilities, distribution systems, and certain storage facilities. Projects to replace aging infrastructure are eligible if they are needed to maintain compliance or to further public health protection goals. Projects to consolidate water supplies also may be Congressional Research Service x The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most