Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.; 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.; 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 13101 et seq.; Pub. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, 1321-299 (1996); Pub. L. 105-65, 111 Stat. 1344, 1373 (1997), 2 CFR 200.
This part codifies policies and procedures for financial assistance awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to State, interstate, and local agencies, Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia for pollution abatement and control programs. These provisions supplement the EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500.
[66 FR 1734, Jan. 9, 2001, as amended at 79 FR 76054, Dec. 19, 2014]
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.; 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.; 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 13101 et seq.; Pub. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, 1321-299 (1996); Pub. L. 105-65, 111 Stat. 1344, 1373 (1997).
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.; 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.; 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 13101 et seq.; Pub. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, 1321-299 (1996); Pub. L. 105-65, 111 Stat. 1344, 1373 (1997); Pub. L. 105-276, 112 Stat. 2461, 2499 (1988).
Authority: Secs. 101(e), 109(b), 201 through 205, 207, 208(d), 210 through 212, 215 through 219, 304(d)(3), 313, 501, 502, 511 and 516(b) of the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.
(a) The primary purpose of Federal grant assistance available under this subpart is to assist municipalities in meeting enforceable requirements of the Clean Water Act, particularly, applicable National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements.
(b) This subpart supplements EPA's Uniform Relocation and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act regulation (part 4 of this chapter), its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulation (part 6 of this chapter), its public participation regulation (part 25 of this chapter), its intergovernmental review regulation (part 29 of this chapter), its general grant regulation (2 CFR parts 200 and 1500), and its debarment regulation (2 CFR part 1532), and establishes requirements for Federal grant assistance for the building of wastewater treatment works. EPA may also find it necessary to publish other requirements applicable to the construction grants program in response to Congressional action and executive orders.
(c) EPA's policy is to delegate administration of the construction grants program on individual projects to State agencies to the maximum extent possible. Throughout this subpart we have used the term Regional Administrator. To the extent that the Regional Administrator delegates review of projects for compliance with the requirements of this subpart to a State agency under a delegation agreement (§35.1030), the term Regional Administrator may be read State agency.
(d) In accordance with the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act (Pub. L. 95-224) EPA will, when substantial Federal involvement is anticipated, award assistance under cooperative agreements. Throughout this subpart we have used the terms grant and grantee but those terms may be read cooperative agreement and recipient if appropriate.
(e) From time to time EPA publishes technical and guidance materials on various topics relevant to the construction grants program. Grantees may find this information useful in meeting requirements in this subpart. These publications, including the MCD and FRD series, may be ordered from: EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., room 1115 ET, WH 547, Washington, DC 20460. In order to expedite processing of requests, persons wishing to obtain these publications should request a copy of EPA form 7500-21 (the order form listing all available publications), from EPA Headquarters, Municipal Construction Division (WH-547) or from any EPA Regional Office.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 79 FR 76055, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Words and terms not defined below shall have the meaning given to them in 2 CFR part 200, subpart A - Acronyms and Definitions.
(b) As used in this subpart, the following words and terms mean:
(1) Act. The Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq., as amended).
(2) Ad valorem tax. A tax based upon the value of real property.
(3) Allowance. An amount based on a percentage of the project's allowable building cost, computed in accordance with appendix B.
(4) Alternative technology. Proven wastewater treatment processes and techniques which provide for the reclaiming and reuse of water, productively recycle wastewater constitutuents or otherwise eliminate the discharge of pollutants, or recover energy. Specifically, alternative technolgy includes land application of effluent and sludge; aquifer recharge; aquaculture; direct reuse (non-potable); horticulture; revegetation of disturbed land; containment ponds; sludge composting and drying prior to land application; self-sustaining incineration; and methane recovery.
(5) Alternative to conventional treatment works for a small community. For purposes of §§35.2020 and 35.2032, alternative technology used by treatment works in small communities include alternative technologies defined in paragraph (b)(4), as well as, individual and onsite systems; small diameter gravity, pressure or vacuum sewers conveying treated or partially treated wastewater. These systems can also include small diameter gravity sewers carrying raw wastewater to cluster systems.
(6) Architectural or engineering services. Consultation, investigations, reports, or services for design-type projects within the scope of the practice of architecture or professional engineering as defined by the laws of the State or territory in which the grantee is located.
(7) Best Practicable Waste Treatment Technology (BPWTT). The cost-effective technology that can treat wastewater, combined sewer overflows and nonexcessive infiltration and inflow in publicly owned or individual wastewater treatment works, to meet the applicable provisions of:
(i) 40 CFR part 133 - secondary treatment of wastewater;
(ii) 40 CFR part 125, subpart G - marine discharge waivers;
(iii) 40 CFR 122.44(d) - more stringent water quality standards and State standards; or
(iv) 41 FR 6190 (February 11, 1976) - Alternative Waste Management Techniques for Best Practicable Waste Treatment (treatment and discharge, land application techniques and utilization practices, and reuse).
(8) Building. The erection, acquisition, alteration, remodeling, improvement or extension of treatment works.
(9) Building completion. The date when all but minor components of a project have been built, all equipment is operational and the project is capable of functioning as designed.
(10) Collector sewer. The common lateral sewers, within a publicly owned treatment system, which are primarily installed to receive wastewaters directly from facilities which convey wastewater from individual systems, or from private property, and which include service “Y” connections designed for connection with those facilities including:
(i) Crossover sewers connecting more than one property on one side of a major street, road, or highway to a lateral sewer on the other side when more cost effective than parallel sewers; and
(ii) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(10)(iii) of this section, pumping units and pressurized lines serving individual structures or groups of structures when such units are cost effective and are owned and maintained by the grantee.
(iii) This definition excludes other facilities which convey wastewater from individual structures, from private property to the public lateral sewer, or its equivalent and also excludes facilities associated with alternatives to conventional treatment works in small communities.
(11) Combined sewer. A sewer that is designed as a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer.
(12) Complete waste treatment system. A complete waste treatment system consists of all the treatment works necessary to meet the requirements of title III of the Act, involving: (i) The transport of wastewater from individual homes or buildings to a plant or facility where treatment of the wastewater is accomplished; (ii) the treatment of the wastewater to remove pollutants; and (iii) the ultimate disposal, including recycling or reuse, of the treated wastewater and residues which result from the treatment process.
(13) Construction. Any one or more of the following: Preliminary planning to determine the feasibility of treatment works, engineering, architectural, legal, fiscal, or economic investigations or studies, surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, procedures, field testing of innovative or alternative wastewater treatment processes and techniques (excluding operation and maintenance) meeting guidelines promulgated under section 304(d)(3) of the Act, or other necessary actions, erection, building, acquisition, alteration, remodeling, improvement, or extension of treatment works, or the inspection or supervision of any of the foregoing items.
(14) Conventional technology. Wastewater treatment processes and techniques involving the treatment of wastewater at a centralized treatment plant by means of biological or physical/chemical unit processes followed by direct point source discharge to surface waters.
(15) Enforceable requirements of the Act. Those conditions or limitations of section 402 or 404 permits which, if violated, could result in the issuance of a compliance order or initiation of a civil or criminal action under section 309 of the Act or applicable State laws. If a permit has not been issued, the term shall include any requirement which, in the Regional Administrator's judgment, would be included in the permit when issued. Where no permit applies, the term shall include any requirement which the Regional Administrator determines is necessary for the best practicable waste treatment technology to meet applicable criteria.
(16) Excessive infiltration/inflow. The quantities of infiltration/inflow which can be economically eliminated from a sewer system as determined in a cost-effectiveness analysis that compares the costs for correcting the infiltration/inflow conditions to the total costs for transportation and treatment of the infiltration/inflow. (See §§35.2005(b)(28) and (29) and 35.2120.)
(17) Field testing. Practical and generally small-scale testing of innovative or alternative technologies directed to verifying performance and/or refining design parameters not sufficiently tested to resolve technical uncertainties which prevent the funding of a promising improvement in innovative or alternative treatment technology.
(18) Individual systems. Privately owned alternative wastewater treatment works (including dual waterless/gray water systems) serving one or more principal residences, or small commercial establishments. Normally these are onsite systems with localized treatment and disposal of wastewater, but may be systems utilizing small diameter gravity, pressure or vacuum sewers conveying treated or partially treated wastewater. These systems can also include small diameter gravity sewers carrying raw wastewater to cluster systems.
(19) Industrial user. Any nongovernmental, nonresidential user of a publicly owned treatment works which is identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, Office of Management and Budget, as amended and supplemented, under one of the following divisions:
Division A. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
Division B. Mining
Division D. Manufacturing
Division E. Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services
Division I. Services
(20) Infiltration. Water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including sewer service connections and foundation drains) from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, or manholes. Infiltration does not include, and is distinguished from, inflow.
(21) Inflow. Water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including sewer service connections) from sources such as, but not limited to, roof leaders, cellar drains, yard drains, area drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross connections between storm sewers and sanitary sewers, catch basins, cooling towers, storm waters, surface runoff, street wash waters, or drainage. Inflow does not include, and is distinguished from, infiltration.
(22) Initiation of operation. The date specified by the grantee on which use of the project begins for the purpose for which it was planned, designed, and built.
(23) Innovative technology. Developed wastewater treatment processes and techniques which have not been fully proven under the circumstances of their contemplated use and which represent a significant advancement over the state of the art in terms of significant reduction in life cycle cost or significant environmental benefits through the reclaiming and reuse of water, otherwise eliminating the discharge of pollutants, utilizing recycling techniques such as land treatment, more efficient use of energy and resources, improved or new methods of waste treatment management for combined municipal and industrial systems, or the confined disposal of pollutants so that they will not migrate to cause water or other environmental pollution.
(24) Interceptor sewer. A sewer which is designed for one or more of the following purposes:
(i) To intercept wastewater from a final point in a collector sewer and convey such wastes directly to a treatment facility or another interceptor.
(ii) To replace an existing wastewater treatment facility and transport the wastes to an adjoining collector sewer or interceptor sewer for conveyance to a treatment plant.
(iii) To transport wastewater from one or more municipal collector sewers to another municipality or to a regional plant for treatment.
(iv) To intercept an existing major discharge of raw or inadequately treated wastewater for transport directly to another interceptor or to a treatment plant.
(25) Interstate agency. An agency of two or more States established under an agreement or compact approved by the Congress, or any other agency of two or more States, having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the control of water pollution.
(26) Marine bays and estuaries. Semi-enclosed coastal waters which have a free connection to the territorial sea.
(27) Municipality. A city, town, borough, county, parish, district, association, or other public body (including an intermunicipal agency of two or more of the foregoing entities) created under State law, or an Indian tribe or an authorized Indian tribal organization, having jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes, or other waste, or a designated and approved management agency under section 208 of the Act.
(i) This definition includes a special district created under State law such as a water district, sewer district, sanitary district, utility district, drainage district or similar entity or an integrated waste management facility, as defined in section 201(e) of the Act, which has as one of its principal responsibilities the treatment, transport, or disposal of domestic wastewater in a particular geographic area.
(ii) This definition excludes the following:
(A) Any revenue producing entity which has as its principal responsibility an activity other than providing wastewater treatment services to the general public, such as an airport, turnpike, port facility or other municipal utility.
(B) Any special district (such as school district or a park district) which has the responsibility to provide wastewater treatment services in support of its principal activity at specific facilities, unless the special district has the responsibility under State law to provide wastewater treatment services to the community surrounding the special district's facility and no other municipality, with concurrent jurisdiction to serve the community, serves or intends to serve the special district's facility or the surrounding community.
(28) Nonexcessive infiltration. The quantity of flow which is less than 120 gallons per capita per day (domestic base flow and infiltration) or the quantity of infiltration which cannot be economically and effectively eliminated from a sewer system as determined in a cost-effectiveness analysis. (See §§35.2005(b)(16) and 35.2120.)
(29) Nonexcessive inflow. The maximum total flow rate during storm events which does not result in chronic operational problems related to hydraulic overloading of the treatment works or which does not result in a total flow of more than 275 gallons per capita per day (domestic base flow plus infiltration plus inflow). Chronic operational problems may include surcharging, backups, bypasses, and overflows. (See §§35.2005(b)(16) and 35.2120).
(30) Operation and Maintenance. Activities required to assure the dependable and economical function of treatment works.
(i) Maintenance: Preservation of functional integrity and efficiency of equipment and structures. This includes preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance and replacement of equipment (See §35.2005(b)(36)) as needed.)
(ii) Operation: Control of the unit processes and equipment which make up the treatment works. This includes financial and personnel management; records, laboratory control, process control, safety and emergency operation planning.
(31) Principal residence. For the purposes of §35.2034, the habitation of a family or household for at least 51 percent of the year. Second homes, vacation or recreation residences are not included in this definition.
(32) Project. The activities or tasks the Regional Administrator identifies in the grant agreement for which the grantee may expend, obligate or commit funds.
(33) Project performance standards. The performance and operations requirements applicable to a project including the enforceable requirements of the Act and the specifications, including the quantity of excessive infiltration and inflow proposed to be eliminated, which the project is planned and designed to meet.
(34) Priority water quality areas. For the purposes of §35.2015, specific stream segments or bodies of water, as determined by the State, where municipal discharges have resulted in the impairment of a designated use or significant public health risks, and where the reduction of pollution from such discharges will substantially restore surface or groundwater uses.
(35) Project schedule. A timetable specifying the dates of key project events including public notices of proposed procurement actions, subagreement awards, issuance of notice to proceed with building, key milestones in the building schedule, completion of building, initiation of operation and certification of the project.
(36) Replacement. Obtaining and installing equipment, accessories, or appurtenances which are necessary during the design or useful life, whichever is longer, of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
(37) Sanitary sewer. A conduit intended to carry liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions together with minor quantities of ground, storm and surface waters that are not admitted intentionally.
(38) Services. A contractor's labor, time or efforts which do not involve the delivery of a specific end item, other than documents (e.g., reports, design drawings, specifications). This term does not include employment agreements or collective bargaining agreements.
(39) Small commercial establishments. For purposes of §35.2034 private establishments such as restaurants, hotels, stores, filling stations, or recreational facilities and private, nonprofit entities such as churches, schools, hospitals, or charitable organizations with dry weather wastewater flows less than 25,000 gallons per day.
(40) Small Community. For purposes of §§35.2020(b) and 35.2032, any municipality with a population of 3,500 or less or highly dispersed sections of larger municipalities, as determined by the Regional Administrator.
(41) State. A State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. For the purposes of applying for a grant under section 201(g)(1) of the act, a State (including its agencies) is subject to the limitations on revenue producing entities and special districts contained in §35.2005(b)(27)(ii).
(42) State agency. The State agency designated by the Governor having responsibility for administration of the construction grants program under section 205(g) of the Act.
(43) Step 1. Facilities planning.
(44) Step 2. Preparation of design drawings and specifications.
(45) Step 3. Building of a treatment works and related services and supplies.
(46) Step 2 + 3. Design and building of a treatment works and building related services and supplies.
(47) Step 7. Design/building of treatment works wherein a grantee awards a single contract for designing and building certain treatment works.
(48) Storm sewer. A sewer designed to carry only storm waters, surface run-off, street wash waters, and drainage.
(49) Treatment works. Any devices and systems for the storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage, or liquid industrial wastes used to implement section 201 of the Act, or necessary to recycle or reuse water at the most economical cost over the design life of the works. These include intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, individual systems, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions, improvement, remodeling, additions, and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works, including acquisition of the land that will be an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment (including land for composting sludge, temporary storage of such compost and land used for the storage of treated wastewater in land treatment systems before land application); or any other method or system for preventing, abating, reducing, storing, treating, separating, or disposing of municipal waste or industrial waste, including waste in combined storm water and sanitary sewer systems.
(50) Treatment works phase or segment. A treatment works phase or segment may be any substantial portion of a facility and its interceptors described in a facilities plan under §35.2030, which can be identified as a subagreement or discrete subitem. Multiple subagreements under a project shall not be considered to be segments or phases. Completion of building of a treatment works phase or segment may, but need not in and of itself, result in an operable treatment works.
(51) Useful life. The period during which a treatment works operates. (Not “design life” which is the period during which a treatment works is planned and designed to be operated.)
(52) User charge. A charge levied on users of a treatment works, or that portion of the ad valorem taxes paid by a user, for the user's proportionate share of the cost of operation and maintenance (including replacement) of such works under sections 204(b)(1)(A) and 201(h)(2) of the Act and this subpart.
(53) Value engineering. A specialized cost control technique which uses a systematic and creative approach to identify and to focus on unnecessarily high cost in a project in order to arrive at a cost saving without sacrificing the reliability or efficiency of the project.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45894, Nov. 4, 1985; 55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990; 79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Allotments are made on a formula or other basis which Congress specifies for each fiscal year (FY). The allotment for each State and the availability period shall be announced each fiscal year in the Federal Register. This section applies only to funds allotted under section 205 of the Act.
(b) Unless otherwise provided by Congress, all sums allotted to a State under section 205 of the Act shall remain available for obligation until the end of the one year after the close of the fiscal year for which the sums were appropriated. Except as provided in §35.2020(a), sums not obligated at the end of that period shall be subject to reallotment on the basis of the same ratio as applicable to the then-current fiscal year, adjusted for the States which failed to obligate any of the fiscal year funds being reallotted, but none of the funds reallotted shall be made available to any State which failed to obligate any of the fiscal year funds being reallotted. Any sum made available to a State by reallotment under this section shall be in addition to any funds otherwise allotted to such State for grants under this subpart during any fiscal year and the reallotted funds shall remain available for obligation until the last day of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the reallotted funds are issued by the Comptroller to the Regional Administrator.
(c) Except for funds appropriated for FY 72 and fiscal years prior to 1972, sums which are deobligated and reissued by the Comptroller to the Regional Administrator before their reallotment date shall be available for obligation in the same State and treated in the same manner as the allotment from which such funds were derived.
(d) Except for funds appropriated for FY 72 and fiscal years prior to 1972, deobligated sums which are reissued by the Comptroller to the Regional Administrator after their reallotment date shall be available for obligation in the same State until the last day of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the reissuance occurs.
(e) Deobligated FY 72 and prior to 1972 fiscal year funds, except 1964, 1965 and 1966 funds, will be credited to the allowances of the same Region from which such funds are recovered, and the Regional Administrator may determine how these recoveries are credited to the States within the Region.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985]
Amounts allotted to a State under title II may be deposited in that State's water pollution control revolving fund as a capitalization grant in accordance with 40 CFR 35.5020 (f) and (g).
[55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990]
(a) General. The Regional Administrator will award grant assistance from annual allotments to projects on a State project priority list developed in accordance with an approved State priority system. The State priority system and list must be designed to achieve optimum water quality management consistent with the goals and requirements of the Act. All projects for building treatment works to be funded by EPA must be included on a State project list, except training facilities funded under section 109(b) of the Act and marine CSO projects funded under section 201(n)(2) of the Act.
(b) State priority system. The State priority system describes the methodology used to rank projects that are considered eligible for assistance. The priority system should give high priority to projects in priority water quality areas. The priority system may also include the administrative, management, and public participation procedures required to develop and revise the State project priority list. The priority system includes at least the following elements:
(1) Criteria.(i) The priority system shall include at least the following criteria for ranking projects:
(A) The impairment of classified water uses resulting from existing municipal pollutant discharges; and
(B) The extent of surface or ground water use restoration or public health improvement resulting from the reduction in pollution.
(ii) The State may also include other criteria in its priority system for ranking projects, such as the use of innovative or alternative technology, the need to complete a waste treatment system for which a grant for a phase or segment was previously awarded; and the category of need and the existing population affected.
(iii) In ranking phased and segmented projects States must comply with §35.2108.
(2) Categories of need. All projects must fit into at least one of the categories of need described in this paragraph to be eligible for funding, except as provided in paragraphs (b)(2) (iii) and (iv) of this section. States will have sole authority to determine the priority for each category of need.
(i) Before October 1, 1984, these categories of need shall include at least the following:
(A) Secondary treatment (category I);
(B) Treatment more stringent than secondary (category II);
(C) Infiltration/inflow correction (category IIIA);
(D) Major sewer system rehabilitation (category IIIB);
(E) New collector sewers and appurtenances (category IVA);
(F) New interceptors and appurtenances (category IVB);
(G) Correction of combined sewer overflows (category V).
(ii) After September 30, 1984, except as provided in paragraphs (b)(2) (iii) and (iv) of this section, these categories of need shall include only the following:
(A) Secondary treatment or any cost-effective alternative;
(B) Treatment more stringent than secondary or any cost-effective alternative;
(C) New interceptors and appurtenances; and
(D) Infiltration/inflow correction.
(iii) After September 30, 1984, up to 20 percent (as determined by the Governor) of a State's annual allotment may be used for categories of need other than those listed in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section and for any purpose for which grants may be made under sections 319 (h) and (i) of the Act (including any innovative and alternative approaches for the control of nonpoint sources of pollution).
(iv) After September 30, 1984, the Governor may include in the priority system a category for projects needed to correct combined sewer overflows which result in impaired uses in priority water quality areas. Only projects which comply with the requirements of §35.2024(a) may be included in this category.
(c) Project priority list. The State's annual project priority list is an ordered listing of projects for which the State expects Federal financial assistance. The priority list contains two portions: the fundable portion, consisting of those projects anticipated to be funded from funds available for obligation; and the planning portion, consisting of projects anticipated to be funded from future authorized allotments.
(1) The State shall develop the project priority list consistent with the criteria established in the approved priority system. In ranking projects, the State must also consider total funds available, needs and priorities set forth in areawide water quality management plans, and any other factors contained in the State priority system.
(2) The list shall include an estimate of the eligible cost of each project.
(d) Public participation.(1) In addition to any requirements in 40 CFR part 25, the State shall hold public hearings as follows:
(i) Before submitting its priority system to the Regional Administrator for approval and before adopting any significant change to an approved priority system; and
(ii) Before submitting its annual project priority list to the Regional Administrator for acceptance and before revising its priority list unless the State agency and the Regional Administrator determine that the revision is not significant.
(iii) If the approved State priority system contains procedures for bypassing projects on the fundable portion of the priority list, such bypasses will not be significant revisions for purposes of this section.
(2) Public hearings may be conducted as directed in the State's continuing planning process document or may be held in conjunction with any regular public meeting of the State agency.
(e) Regional Administrator review. The State must submit its priority system, project priority list and revisions of the priority system or priority list to the Regional Administrator for review. The State must also submit each year, by August 31, a new priority list for use in the next fiscal year.
(1) After submission and approval of the initial priority system and submission and acceptance of the project priority lists under paragraph (c) of this section, the State may revise its priority system and list as necessary.
(2) The Regional Administrator shall review the State priority system and any revisions to insure that they are designed to obtain compliance with the criteria established in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (d) of this section and the enforceable requirements of the Act as defined in §35.2005(b)(15). The Regional Administrator shall complete review of the priority system within 30 days of receipt of the system from the State and will notify the State in writing of approval or disapproval of the priority system, stating any reasons for disapproval.
(3) The Regional Administrator will review the project priority list and any revisions to insure compliance with the State's approved priority system and the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section. The Regional Administrator will complete review of the project priority list within 30 days of receipt from the State and will notify the State in writing of acceptance or rejection, stating the reasons for the rejection. Any project which is not contained on an accepted current priority list will not receive funding.
(f) Compliance with the enforceable requirements of the Act.(1) Except as limited under paragraph (f)(2) of this section, the Regional Administrator, after a public hearing, shall require the removal of a specific project or portion thereof from the State project priority list if the Regional Administrator determines it will not contribute to compliance with the enforceable requirements of the Act.
(2) The Regional Administrator shall not require removal of projects in categories under paragraphs (b)(2)(i) (D) through (G) of this section which do not meet the enforceable requirements of the Act unless the total Federal share of such projects would exceed 25 percent of the State's annual allotment.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990]
In developing its priority list the State shall establish the reserves required or authorized under this section. The amount of each mandatory reserve shall be based on the allotment to each State from the annual appropriation under §35.2010. The State may also establish other reserves which it determines appropriate.
(a) Reserve for State management assistance grants. Each State may request that the Regional Administrator reserve, from the State's annual allotment, up to 4 percent of the State's allotment based on the amount authorized to be appropriated, or $400,000, whichever is greater, for State management assistance grants under subpart A of this part. Grants may be made from these funds to cover the costs of administering activities delegated or scheduled to be delegated to a State. Funds reserved for this purpose that are not obligated by the end of the allotment period will be added to the amounts last allotted to a State. These funds shall be immediately available for obligation to projects in the same manner and to the same extent as the last allotment.
(b) Reserve for alternative systems for small communities. Each State with 25 percent or more rural population (as determined by the population estimates of the Bureau of Census) shall reserve not less than 4 percent nor more than 7 1/2 percent of the State's annual allotment for alternatives to conventional treatment works for small communities. The Governor of any non-rural State may reserve up to 7 1/2 percent of the State's allotment for the same purpose.
(c) Reserve for innovative and alternative technologies. Each State shall reserve not less than 4 percent nor more than 7 1/2 percent from its annual allotment to increase the Federal share of grant awards under §35.2032 for projects which use innovative or alternative wastewater treatment processes and techniques. Of this amount not less than one-half of one percent of the State's allotment shall be set aside to increase the Federal share for projects using innovative processes and techniques.
(d) Reserve for water quality management. Each State shall reserve not less than $100,000 nor more than 1 percent from its annual allotments, to carry out water quality management planning under §35.2023, except that in the case of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, a reasonable amount shall be reserved for this purpose.
(e) Reserve for Advances of Allowance. Each State shall reserve a reasonable portion of its annual allotment not to exceed 10 percent for advances of allowance under §35.2025. The Regional Administrator may waive this reserve requirement where a State can demonstrate that such a reserve is not necessary because no new facilities planning or design work requiring an advance and resulting in Step 3 grant awards is expected to begin during the period of availability of the annual allotment.
(f) Nonpoint source reserve. Each State shall reserve 1 percent of its annual allotment or $100,000, whichever is greater, for development and implementation of a nonpoint source management program under section 319 of the Act. Sums reserved by the State under this paragraph that are in excess of $100,000 and that are not used for these purposes, may be used by the State for any other purpose under title II of the Act.
(g) Marine estuary reserve. The Administrator shall reserve, before allotment of funds to the States, 1 percent of the funds appropriated under section 207 in fiscal years 1987 and 1988, and 1 1/2 percent of the funds appropriated under section 207 in fiscal years 1989 and 1990, to carry out section 205(l) of the Act.
(h) Indian program reserve. The Administrator shall reserve, before allotment of funds to the States, one-half of 1 percent of the funds appropriated under section 207 in fiscal years 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, for grants for the development of waste treatment management plans and for the construction of sewage treatment works to serve Indian tribes.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985; 55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990]
(a) Mandatory portions of reserves under §35.2020(b) through (g) shall be reallotted if not obligated during the allotment period (§35.2010(b) and (d)). Such reallotted sums are not subject to reserves. The State management assistance reserve under §35.2020(a) is not subject to reallotment.
(b) States may request the Regional Administrator to release funds in optional reserves or optional portions of required reserves under §35.2020(b) through (e) for funding projects at any time before the reallotment date. If these optional reserves are not obligated or released and obligated for other purposes before the reallotment date, they shall be subject to reallotment under §35.2010(b).
(c) Sums deobligated from the mandatory portion of reserves under paragraphs (b) through (e) of §35.2020 which are reissued by the Comptroller to the Regional Administrator before the initial reallotment date for those funds shall be returned to the same reserve. (See §35.2010(c)).
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985; 55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990]
(a) From funds reserved under §35.2020(d) the Regional Administrator shall make grants to the States to carry out water quality management planning including but not limited to:
(1) Identifying the most cost-effective and locally acceptable facility and non-point measures to meet and maintain water quality standards;
(2) Developing an implementation plan to obtain State and local financial and regulatory commitments to implement measures developed under paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(3) Determining the nature, extent and causes of water quality problems in various areas of the State and interstate region, and reporting on these annually; and
(4) Determining which publicly owned treatment works should be constructed, in which areas and in what sequence, taking into account the relative degree of effluent reduction attained, the relative contributions to water quality of other point or nonpoint sources, and the consideration of alternatives to such construction, and implementing section 303(e) of the Act.
(b) In carrying out planning with grants made under paragraph (a) of this section, a State shall develop jointly with local, regional and interstate entities, a plan for carrying out the program and give funding priority to such entities and designated or undesignated public comprehensive planning organizations to carry out the purposes of this section.
(a) Grant assistance from State allotment. As provided in §35.2015(b)(2)(iv), after September 30, 1984, upon request from a State, the Administrator may award a grant under section 201(n)(1) of the Act from the State allotment for correction of combined sewer overflows provided that the project is on the project priority list, it addresses impaired uses in priority water quality areas which are due to the impacts of the combined sewer overflows and otherwise meets the requirements of this subpart. The State must demonstrate to the Administrator that the water quality goals of the Act will not be achieved without correcting the combined sewer overflows. The demonstration shall as a minimum prove that significant usage of the water for fishing and swimming will not be possible without the proposed project, and that the project will result in substantial restoration of an existing impaired use.
(b) Separate fund for combined sewer overflows in marine waters.(1) After September 30, 1982, the Administrator may award grants under section 201(n)(2) of the Act for addressing impaired uses or public health risks in priority water quality areas in marine bays and estuaries due to the impacts of combined sewer overflows. The Administrator may award such grants provided that the water quality benefits of the proposed project have been demonstrated by the State. The demonstration shall as a minimum prove that significant usage of the water for shellfishing and swimming will not be possible without the proposed project for correction of combined sewer overflows, and the proposed project will result in substantial restoration of an existing impaired use.
(2) The Administrator shall establish priorities for projects with demonstrated water quality benefits based upon the following criteria:
(i) Extent of water use benefits that would result, including swimming and shellfishing;
(ii) Relationship of water quality improvements to project costs; and
(iii) National and regional significance.
(3) If the project is a phase or segment of the proposed treatment works described in the facilities plan, the criteria in paragraph (b)(2) of this section must be applied to the treatment works described in the facilities plan and each segment proposed for funding.
(4) All requirements of this subpart apply to grants awarded under section 201(n)(2) of the Act except §§35.2010, 35.2015, 35.2020, 35.2021, 35.2025(b), 35.2042, 35.2103, 35.2109, and 35.2202.
(a) Allowance. Step 2 + 3 and Step 3 grant agreements will include an allowance for facilities planning and design of the project and Step 7 agreements will include an allowance for facility planning in accordance with appendix B of this subpart.
(b) Advance of allowance to potential grant applicants.(1) After application by the State (see §35.2040(d)), the Regional Administrator will award a grant to the State in the amount of the reserve under §35.2020(e) to advance allowances to potential grant applicants for facilities planning and project design.
(2) The State may request that the right to receive payments under the grant be assigned to specified potential grant applicants.
(3) The State may provide advances of allowance only to small communities, as defined by the State, which would otherwise be unable to complete an application for a grant under §35.2040 in the judgment of the State.
(4) The advance shall not exceed the Federal share of the estimate of the allowance for such costs which a grantee would receive under paragraph (a) of this section.
(5) In the event a Step 2 + 3, Step 3 or Step 7 grant is not awarded to a recipient of an advance, the State may seek repayment of the advance on such terms and conditions as it may determine. When the State recovers such advances they shall be added to its most recent grant for advances of allowance.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990]
(a) General.(1) Facilities planning consists of those necessary plans and studies which directly relate to treatment works needed to comply with enforceable requirements of the Act. Facilities planning will investigate the need for proposed facilities. Through a systematic evaluation of alternatives that are feasible in light of the unique demographic, topographic, hydrologic and institutional characteristics of the area, it will demonstrate that, except for innovative and alternative technology under §35.2032, the selected alternative is cost effective (i.e., is the most economical means of meeting the applicable effluent, water quality and public health requirements over the design life of the facility while recognizing environmental and other non-monetary considerations). For sewered communities with a population of 10,000 or less, consideration must be given to appropriate low cost technologies such as facultative ponds, trickling filters, oxidation ditches, or overland-flow land treatment; and for unsewered portions of communities of 10,000 or less, consideration must be given to onsite systems. The facilities plan will also demonstrate that the selected alternative is implementable from legal, institutional, financial and management standpoints.
(2) Grant assistance may be awarded before certification of the completed facilities plan if:
(i) The Regional Administrator determines that applicable statutory and regulatory requirements (including part 6) have been met; that the facilities planning related to the project has been substantially completed; and that the project for which grant assistance is awarded will not be significantly affected by the completion of the facilities plan and will be a component part of the complete waste treatment system; and
(ii) The applicant agrees to complete the facilities plan on a schedule the State accepts and such schedule is inserted as a special condition of the grant agreement.
(b) Facilities plan contents. A completed facilities plan must include:
(1) A description of both the proposed treatment works, and the complete waste treatment system of which it is a part.
(2) A description of the Best Practicable Wastewater Treatment Technology. (See §35.2005(b)(7).)
(3) A cost-effectiveness analysis of the feasible conventional, innovative and alternative wastewater treatment works, processes and techniques capable of meeting the applicable effluent, water quality and public health requirements over the design life of the facility while recognizing environmental and other non-monetary considerations. The planning period for the cost-effectiveness analysis shall be 20 years. The monetary costs to be considered must include the present worth or equivalent annual value of all capital costs and operation and maintenance costs. The discount rate established by EPA for the construction grants program shall be used in the cost-effectiveness analysis. The population forecasting in the analysis shall be consistent with the current Needs Survey. A cost-effectiveness analysis must include:
(i) An evaluation of alternative flow reduction methods. (If the grant applicant demonstrates that the existing average daily base flow (ADBF) from the area is less than 70 gallons per capita per day (gpcd), or if the Regional Administrator determines the area has an effective existing flow reduction program, additional flow reduction evaluation is not required.)
(ii) A description of the relationship between the capacity of alternatives and the needs to be served, including capacity for future growth expected after the treatment works become operational. This includes letters of intent from significant industrial users and all industries intending to increase their flows or relocate in the area documenting capacity needs and characteristics for existing or projected flows;
(iii) An evaluation of improved effluent quality attainable by upgrading the operation and maintenance and efficiency of existing facilities as an alternative or supplement to construction of new facilities;
(iv) An evaluation of the alternative methods for the reuse or ultimate disposal of treated wastewater and sludge material resulting from the treatment process;
(v) A consideration of systems with revenue generating applications;
(vi) An evaluation of opportunities to reduce use of, or recover energy;
(vii) Cost information on total capital costs, and annual operation and maintenance costs, as well as estimated annual or monthly costs to residential and industrial users.
(4) A demonstration of the non-existence or possible existence of excessive inflitration/inflow in the sewer system. See §35.2120.
(5) An analysis of the potential open space and recreation opportunities associated with the project.
(6) An adequate evaluation of the environmental impacts of alternatives under part 6 of this chapter.
(7) An evaluation of the water supply implications of the project.
(8) For the selected alternative, a concise description at an appropriate level of detail, of at least the following:
(i) Relevant design parameters;
(ii) Estimated capital construction and operation and maintenance costs, (identifying the Federal, State and local shares), and a description of the manner in which local costs will be financed;
(iii) Estimated cost of future expansion and long-term needs for reconstruction of facilities following their design life;
(iv) Cost impacts on wastewater system users; and
(v) Institutional and management arrangements necessary for successful implementation.
(c) Submission and review of facilities plan. Each facilities plan must be submitted to the State for review. EPA recommends that potential grant applicants confer with State reviewers early in the facilities planning process. In addition, a potential grant applicant may request in writing from the State and EPA an early determination under part 6 of this chapter of the appropriateness of a categorical exclusion from NEPA requirements, the scope of the environmental information document or the early preparation of an environmental impact statement.
(a) Funding for innovative and alternative technologies. Projects or portions of projects using unit processes or techniques which the Regional Administrator determines to be innovative or alternative technology shall receive increased grants under §35.2152.
(1) Only funds from the reserve in §35.2020(c) shall be used to increase these grants.
(2) If the project is an alternative to conventional treatment works for a small community, funds from the reserve in §35.2020(b) may be used for the 75 percent portion, or any lower Federal share of the grant as determined under §35.2152.
(b) Cost-effectiveness preference. The Regional Administrator may award grant assistance for a treatment works or portion of a treatment works using innovative or alternative technologies if the total present worth cost of the treatment works for which the grant is to be made does not exceed the total present worth cost of the most cost-effective alternative by more than 15 percent.
(1) Privately-owned individual systems (§35.2034) are not eligible for this preference.
(2) If the present worth costs of the innovative or alternative unit processes are 50 percent or less of the present worth cost of the treatment works, the cost-effectiveness preference applies only to the innovative or alternative components.
(c) Modification or replacement of innovative and alternative projects. The Regional Administrator may award grant assistance to fund 100 percent of the allowable costs of the modification or replacement of any project funded with increased grant funding in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section if he determines that:
(1) The innovative or alternative elements of the project have caused the project or significant elements of the complete waste treatment system of which the project is a part to fail to meet project performance standards;
(2) The failure has significantly increased operation and maintenance expenditures for the project or the complete waste treatment system of which the project is a part; or requires significant additional capital expenditures for corrective action;
(3) The failure has occurred prior to two years after initiation of operation of the project; and
(4) The failure is not attributable to negligence on the part of any person.
(a) An eligible applicant may apply for a grant to build privately owned treatment works serving one or more principal residences or small commercial establishments.
(b) In addition to those applicable limitations set forth in §§35.2100 through 35.2127 the grant applicant shall:
(1) Demonstrate that the total cost and environmental impact of building the individual system will be less than the cost of a conventional system;
(2) Certify that the principal residence or small commercial establishment was constructed before December 27, 1977, and inhabited or in use on or before that date;
(3) Apply on behalf of a number of individual units to be served in the facilities planning area;
(4) Certify that public ownership of such works is not feasible and list the reasons; and
(5) Certify that such treatment works will be properly operated and maintained and will comply with all other requirements of section 204 of the Act.
The Regional Administrator may award a grant for 100 percent of the cost, including planning and design costs, of modification or replacement of RBCs which have failed to meet design performance specifications, provided:
(a) The applicant for a modification/replacement grant demonstrates to the Regional Administrator's satisfaction, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the RBC failure is not due to the negligence of any person, including the treatment works owner, the applicant, its engineers, contractors, equipment manufacturers or suppliers;
(b) The RBC failure has significantly increased the project's capital or operation and maintenance costs;
(c) The modification/replacement project meets all requirements of EPA's construction grant and other applicable regulations, including 40 CFR part 35, and 2 CFR parts 200, 1500 and 1532.
(d) The modification/replacement project is included within the fundable range of the State's annual project priority list; and
(e) The State certifies the project for funding from its regular (i.e., non-reserve) allotments and from funds appropriated or otherwise available after February 4, 1987.
[55 FR 27095, June 29, 1990, as amended at 79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Terms and conditions. The Regional Administrator may award a design/build (Step 7) project grant provided that:
(1) The proposed treatment works has an estimated total cost of $8 million or less;
(2) The proposed treatment works is an aerated lagoon, trickling filter, waste stabilization pond, land application system (wastewater or sludge), slow rate (intermittent) sand filter or subsurface disposal system;
(3) The proposed treatment works will be an operable unit, will meet all requirements of title II of the Act, and will be operated to meet the requirements of any applicable permit;
(4) The grantee obtains bonds from the contractor in an amount the Regional Administrator determines adequate to protect the Federal interest in the treatment works (see 2 CFR 200.326);
(5) The grantee will not allow any engineer, engineering firm or contractor which provided facilities planning or pre-bid services to bid or carry out any part of the design/build work;
(6) Contracts will be firm, fixed price contracts;
(7) The grantee agrees that the grant amount, as amended to reflect the lowest responsive/responsible bid (see paragraph (e) of this section), will not be increased;
(8) The grantee will establish reasonable building start and completion dates;
(9) The grantee agrees that EPA will not pay more than 95 percent of the grant amount until after completion of building and the Regional Administrator's final project approval, based on initiation of operation and acceptance of the facility by the grantee;
(10) The grantee agrees that a recipient of a Step 7 grant is not eligible for any other grant for the project under title II of the Act; and
(11) The grantee accepts other terms and conditions deemed necessary by the Regional Administrator.
(b) Procurement.(1) Grantee procurement for developing or supplementing the facilities plan to prepare the pre-bid package, as well as for designing and building the project and performing construction management and contract administration, will be in accordance with the procurement standards at 2 CFR 200.317 through 200.327 and 2 CFR 1500.10 through 1500.11.
(2) The grantee will use the sealed bid (formal advertising) method of procurement to select the design/build contractor.
(3) The grantee may use the same architect or engineer that prepared the facilities plan to provide any or all of the pre-bid, construction management, and contract and/or project administration services provided the initial procurement met EPA requirements (see 2 CFR 1500.11).
(c) Pre-bid package. Each design/build project grant will provide for the preparation of a pre-bid package that is sufficiently detailed to insure that the bids received for the design/build work are complete, accurate and comparable and will result in a cost-effective, operable facility.
(d) Grant amount. The grant amount will be based on an estimate of the design/build project's final cost, including:
(1) An allowance for facilities planning if the grantee did not receive a Step 1 grant (the amount of the allowance is established as a percentage of the estimated design/build cost in accordance with appendix B of this subpart);
(2) An estimated cost of supplementing the facilities plan and other costs necessary to prepare the pre-bid package (see appendix A.I.1(a) of this subpart); and
(3) The estimated cost of the design/build contract.
(e) Amended grant amount.(1) After bids are accepted for the design/build contract, and the price of the lowest responsive, responsible bidder is determined, EPA will amend the design/build project grant based on:
(i) The amount of the lowest responsive, responsible bid;
(ii) A lump sum for construction management, contract and project administration services and contingencies;
(iii) Any adjustments to the final allowance for facilities planning if included as required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section (the amount of the final allowance is established as a percentage of the actual building cost in accordance with appendix B of this subpart);
(iv) The actual reasonable and necessary cost of supplementing the facilities plan to prepare the pre-bid package (see paragraph (c)(1) of this section); and
(v) The submission of approvable items required by §35.2203 of this part.
(2) Changes to Step 7 projects cannot increase the amount of EPA assistance established at the time of the grant amendment.
(f) Allotment limit for design/build grants. The Governor may use up to 20 percent of the State's annual allotment for design/build project grants.
[55 FR 27096, June 29, 1990, as amended at 79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014; 87 FR 30400, May 19, 2022]
Applicants for Step 2 + 3 or Step 3 assistance shall submit applications to the State. In addition to the information required in 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500, applicants shall provide the following information:
(a) Step 2 + 3: Combined design and building of a treatment works and building related services and supplies. An application for Step 2 + 3 grant assistance shall include:
(1) A facilities plan prepared in accordance with this subpart;
(2) Certification from the State that there has been adequate public participation based on State and local statutes;
(3) Notification of any advance received under §35.2025(b);
(4) Evidence of compliance with all application limitations on award (§§35.2100 through 35.2127); and
(5) The project schedule.
(b) Step 3: Building of a treatment works and related services and supplies An application for Step 3 grant assistance shall include:
(1) A facilities plan prepared in accordance with this subpart;
(2) Certification from the State that there has been adequate public participation based on State and local statutes;
(3) Notification of any advance received under §35.2025(b);
(4) Evidence of compliance with all applicable limitations on award (§§35.2100 through 35.2127);
(5) Final design drawings and specifications;
(6) The project schedule; and
(7) In the case of an application for Step 3 assistance that is solely for the acquisition of eligible real property, a plat which shows the legal description of the property to be acquired, a preliminary layout of the distribution and drainage systems, and an explanation of the intended method of acquiring the real property (see 40 CFR part 4).
(c) Training facility project. An application for a grant for construction and support of a training facility, facilities or training programs under section 109(b) of the Act shall include:
(1) A written commitment from the State agency to carry out at such facility a program of training; and
(2) If a facility is to be built, an engineering report including facility design data and cost estimates for design and building.
(d) Advances of allowance. State applications for advances of allowance to small communities shall be on government wide Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424). The application shall include:
(1) A list of communities that received an advance of allowance and the amount received by each under the previous State grant; and
(2) The basis for the amount requested.
(e) Field Testing of Innovative and Alternative Technology. An application for field testing of I/A projects shall include a field testing plan containing:
(1) Identification; including size, of all principal components to be tested;
(2) Location of testing facilities in relationship to full scale design;
(3) Identification of critical design parameters and performance variables that are to be verified as the basis for I/A determinations:
(4) Schedule for construction of field testing facilities and duration of proposed testing;
(5) Capital and O&M cost estimate of field testing facilities with documentation of cost effectiveness of field testing approach; and
(6) Design drawing, process flow diagram, equipment specification and related engineering data and information sufficient to describe the overall design and proposed performance of the field testing facility.
(f) Marine CSO Fund Project. An application for marine CSO grant assistance under §35.2024(b) shall include:
(1) All information required under paragraphs (b) (1), (2), (4), (6), and (7), of this section;
(2) Final design drawings and specifications or a commitment to provide them by a date set by the Regional Administrator; and
(3) The water quality benefits demonstration required under §35.2024(b)(1).
(g) Design/build project grant (Step 7). An application for a design/build project grant shall include:
(1) All the information required in paragraphs (b) (1), (2) and (4) of this section; and
(2) The estimated building start and completion dates and Federal payment schedule (the start and completion dates may be revised when the design/build bids are accepted and included in the amended grant).
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985; 55 FR 27096, June 29, 1990; 79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) All States shall review grant applications to ensure that they are complete. When the State determines the proposed project is entitled to priority it shall forward the State priority certification and, except where application review is delegated, the complete application to the regional Administrator for review.
(b)(1) All States delegated authority to manage the construction grants program under section 205(g) of the Act and subpart F of this part shall furnish a written certification to the Regional Administrator, on a project-by-project basis, stating that the applicable Federal requirements within the scope of authority delegated to the State under the delegation agreement have been met. The certification must be supported by documentation specified in the delegation agreement which will be made available to the Regional Administrator upon request. The Regional Administrator shall accept the certification unless he determines the State has failed to establish adequate grounds for the certification or that an applicable requirement has not been met.
(2)(i) When EPA receives a certification covering all delegable preaward requirements, the Regional Administrator shall approve or disapprove the grant within 45 calendar days of receipt of the certification. The Regional Administrator shall state in writing the reasons for any disapproval, and he shall have an additional 45 days to review any subsequent revised submissions. If the Regional Administrator fails to approve or disapprove the grant within 45 days of receipt of the application, the grant shall be deemed approved and the Regional Adminstrator shall issue the grant agreement.
(ii) Grant increase requests are subject to the 45 day provision of this section if the State has been delegated authority over the subject matter of the request.
(c) Applications for assistance for training facilities funded under section 109(b) and for State advances of allowance under section 201(l)(1) of the Act and §35.2025 will be reviewed in accordance with 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
Review or approval of facilities plans, design drawings and specifications or other documents by or for EPA is for administrative purposes only and does not relieve the grantee of its responsibility to properly plan, design, build and effectively operate and maintain the treatment works described in the grant agreement as required under law, regulations, permits, and good management practices. EPA is not responsible for increased costs resulting from defects in the plans, design drawings and specifications or other subagreement documents.
(a) Facilities plan approval. Before awarding grant assistance for any project the Regional Administrator shall approve the facilities plan and final design drawings and specifications and determine that the applicant and the applicant's project have met all the applicable requirements of §§35.2040 and 35.2100 through §35.2127 except as provided in §35.2202 for Step 2 + 3 projects and §35.2203 for Step 7 projects.
(b) Agreement on eligible costs.(1) Concurrent with the approval of a Step 3, Step 2 + 3 or Step 7 grant, the Regional Administrator and the grant applicant will enter into a written agreement which will specify the items in the proposed project that are eligible for Federal payments and which shall be incorporated as a special grant condition in the grant award.
(2) Notwithstanding such agreement, the Regional Administrator may:
(i) Modify eligibility determinations that are found to violate applicable Federal statutes and regulations;
(ii) Conduct an audit of the project;
(iii) Withhold or recover Federal funds for costs that are found to be unreasonable, unsupported by adequate documentation or otherwise unallowable under applicable Federal cost principles;
(iv) Withhold or recover Federal funds for costs that are incurred on a project that fails to meet the design specifications or effluent limitations contained in the grant agreement and NPDES permit issued under section 402 of the Act.
[55 FR 27096, June 29, 1990]
Projects proposing advanced treatment shall be awarded grant assistance only after the project has been reviewed under EPA's advanced treatment review policy. This review must be completed before submission of any application. EPA recommends that potential grant applicants obtain this review before initiation of design.
Before grant assistance can be awarded for any treatment works project, the Regional Administrator shall first determine that the project is:
(a) Included in any water quality management plan being implemented for the area under section 208 of the Act or will be included in any water quality management plan that is being developed for the area and reasonable progress is being made toward the implementation of that plan; and
(b) In conformity with any plan or report implemented or being developed by the State under sections 303(e) and 305(b) of the Act.
[55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
The project shall be entitled to priority in accordance with §35.2015, and the award of grant assistance for the project shall not jeopardize the funding of any project of higher priority under the approved priority system.
(a) The applicant shall;
(1) Agree to pay the non-Federal project costs;
(2) Demonstrate the legal, institutional, managerial, and financial capability to ensure adequate building and operation and maintenance of the treatment works throughout the applicant's jurisdiction including the ability to comply with part 30 of this subchapter. This demonstration must include: An explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the local governments involved; how construction and operation and maintenance of the facilities will be financed; a current estimate of the cost of the facilities; and a calculation of the annual costs per household. It must also include a written certification signed by the applicant that the applicant has analyzed the costs and financial impacts of the proposed facilities, and that it has the capability to finance and manage their building and operation and maintenance in accordance with this regulation;
(3) Certify that it has not violated any Federal, State or local law pertaining to fraud, bribery, graft, kickbacks, collusion, conflict of interest or other unlawful or corrupt practice relating to or in connection with facilities planning or design work on a wastewater treatment works project.
(4) Indicate the level of participation for minority and women's business enterprises during facilities planning and design of the project.
(b) Federal assistance made available by the Farmers Home Administration may be used to provide the non-Federal share of the project's cost.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
The applicant shall indicate whether it used the services of any individual, organization, or unit of government for facilities planning or design work whose name appears on the master list of debarments, suspensions, and voluntary exclusions. See 2 CFR 200.214 and 2 CFR part 1532. If the applicant indicates it has used the services of a debarred individual or firm, EPA will closely examine the facilities plan, design drawings and specifications to determine whether to award a grant. EPA will also determine whether the applicant should be found non-responsible under 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500 or be the subject of possible debarment or suspension under 2 CFR part 1532.
[79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014; 87 FR 30399, May 19, 2022]
The applicant shall submit a draft plan of operation that addresses development of: An operation and maintenance manual; an emergency operating program; personnel training; an adequate budget consistent with the user charge system approved under §35.2140; operational reports; laboratory testing needs; and an operation and maintenance program for the complete waste treatment system.
If the project will serve two or more municipalities, the applicant shall submit the executed intermunicipal agreements, contracts or other legally binding instruments necessary for the financing, building and operation of the proposed treatment works. At a minimum they must include the basis upon which costs are allocated, the formula by which costs are allocated, and the manner in which the cost allocation system will be administered. The Regional Administrator may waive this requirement provided the applicant can demonstrate:
(a) That such an agreement is already in place; or
(b) Evidence of historic service relationships for water supply, wastewater or other services between the affected communities regardless of the existence of formal agreements, and
(c) That the financial strength of the supplier agency is adequate to continue the project, even if one of the proposed customer agencies fails to participate.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
Grant funding may be awarded for a phase or segment of a treatment works, subject to the limitations of §35.2123, although that phase or segment does not result in compliance with the enforceable requirements of the Act, provided:
(a) The grant agreement requires the recipient to make the treatment works of which the phase or segment is a part operational and comply with the enforceable requirements of the Act according to a schedule specified in the grant agreement regardless of whether grant funding is available for the remaining phases and segments; and
(b) Except in the case of a grant solely for the acquisition of eligible real property, one or more of the following conditions exist:
(1) The Federal share of the cost of building the treatment works would require a disproportionate share of the State's annual allotment relative to other needs or would require a major portion of the State's annual allotment;
(2) The period to complete the building of the treatment works will cover three years or more;
(3) The treatment works must be phased or segmented to meet the requirements of a Federal or State court order; or
(4) The treatment works is being phased or segmented to build only the less-than-secondary facility pending a final decision on the applicant's request for a secondary treatment requirement waiver under section 301(h) of the Act.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985]
The Regional Administrator may award a Step 2 + 3 grant which will provide the Federal share of an allowance under appendix B and the estimated allowable cost of the project only if:
(a) The population of the applicant municipality is 25,000 or less according to the most recent U.S. Census;
(b) The total Step 3 building cost is estimated to be $8 million or less; and
(c) The project is not for a treatment works phase or segment.
Applicants for privately owned individual systems shall provide assurance of access to the systems at all reasonable times for such purposes as inspection, monitoring, building, operation, rehabilitation and replacement.
After December 29, 1984, no grant can be awarded for projects that discharge into stream segments which have not, at least once since December 29, 1981, had their water quality standards reviewed and revised or new standards adopted, as appropriate, under section 303(c) of the Act, unless:
(a) The State has in good faith submitted such water quality standards and the Regional Administrator has failed to act on them within 120 days of receipt;
(b) The grant assistance is for the construction of non-discharging land treatment or containment ponds; or
(c) The grant assistance is a State program grant awarded under section 205(g) or 205(j) of the Act.
[50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985]
If the applicant is also an applicant for a secondary treatment requirement waiver under section 301(h) of the Act, a plan must be submitted which contains a modified scope of work, a schedule for completion of the less-than-secondary facility and an estimate of costs providing for building the proposed less-than-secondary facilities, including provisions for possible future additions of treatment processes or techniques to meet secondary treatment requirements.
(a) The environmental review required by part 6 of this chapter must be completed before submission of any application. The potential applicant should work with the State and EPA as early as possible in the facilities planning process to determine if the project qualifies for a categorical exclusion from part 6 requirements, or whether a finding of no significant impact or an environmental impact statement is required.
(b) In conjunction with the facilities planning process as described in §35.2030(c), a potential applicant may request, in writing, that EPA make a formal determination under part 6 of this chapter.
(a) If the project has not received Step 2 grant assistance the applicant shall conduct value engineering if the total estimated cost of building the treatment works is more than $10 million.
(b) The value engineering recommendations shall be implemented to the maximum extent feasible.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
Except as provided in §35.2032(c), if the project involves collection system work, such work:
(a) Shall be for the replacement or major rehabilitation of an existing collection system which was not build with Federal funds awarded on or after October 18, 1972, and shall be necessary to the integrity and performance of the complete waste treatment system; or
(b) Shall be for a new cost-effective collection system in a community in existence on October 18, 1972, which has sufficient existing or planned capacity to adequately treat such collected wastewater and where the bulk (generally two-thirds) of the expected flow (flow from existing plus future residential users) will be from the resident population on October 18, 1972. The expected flow will be subject to the limitations for interceptors contained in §35.2123. If assistance is awarded, the grantee shall provide assurances that the existing population will connect to the collection system within a reasonable time after project completion.
(a) EPA will not award grant assistance for Step 2 + 3 and Step 3 work performed before award of grant assistance for that project, except:
(1) In emergencies or instances where delay could result in significant cost increases, the Regional Administrator may approve preliminary building work (such as procurement of major equipment requiring long lead times, field testing of innovative and alternative technologies, minor sewer rehabilitation, acquisition of eligible land or an option for the purchase of eligible land or advance building on minor portions of treatment works) after completion of the environmental review as required by §35.2113.
(2) If the Regional Administrator approves preliminary Step 3 work, such approval is not an actual or implied commitment of grant assistance and the applicant proceeds at its own risk.
(b) Any procurement is subject to the requirements of 40 CFR part 33, and in the case of acquisition of eligible real property, 40 CFR part 4.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
(a) General. The applicant shall demonstrate to the Regional Administrator's satisfaction that each sewer system discharging into the proposed treatment works project is not or will not be subject to excessive infiltration/inflow. For combined sewers, inflow is not considered excessive in any event.
(b) Inflow. If the rainfall induced peak inflow rate results or will result in chronic operational problems during storm events, or the rainfall-induced total flow rate exceeds 275 gpcd during storm events, the applicant shall perform a study of the sewer system to determine the quantity of excessive inflow and to propose a rehabilitation program to eliminate the excessive inflow. All cases in which facilities are planned for the specific storage and/or treatment of inflow shall be subject to a cost-effectiveness analysis.
(c) Infiltration.(1) If the flow rate at the existing treatment facility is 120 gallons per capita per day or less during periods of high groundwater, the applicant shall build the project including sufficient capacity to transport and treat any existing infiltration. However, if the applicant believes any specific portion of its sewer system is subject to excessive infiltration, the applicant may confirm its belief in a cost-effectiveness analysis and propose a sewer rehabilitation program to eliminate that specific excessive infiltration.
(2) If the flow rate at the existing treatment facility is more than 120 gallons per capita per day during periods of high groundwater, the applicant shall either:
(i) Perform a study of the sewer system to determine the quantity of excessive infiltration and to propose a sewer rehabilitation program to eliminate the excessive infiltration; or
(ii) If the flow rate is not significantly more than 120 gallons per capita per day, request the Regional Administrator to determine that he may proceed without further study, in which case the allowable project cost will be limited to the cost of a project with a capacity of 120 gallons per capita per day under appendix A.G.2.a.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45895, Nov. 4, 1985]
If the project is for Step 3 grant assistance, unless it is solely for acquisition of eligible land, the applicant must obtain the Regional Administrator's approval of its user charge system (§35.2140) and proposed (or existing) sewer use ordinance §35.2130). If the applicant has a sewer use ordinance or user charge system in affect, the applicant shall demonstrate to the Regional Administrator's satisfaction that they meet the requirements of this part and are being enforced.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
EPA will limit grant assistance for reserve capacity as follows:
(a) If EPA awarded a grant for a Step 3 interceptor segment before December 29, 1981, EPA may award grants for remaining interceptor segments included in the facilities plan with reserve capacity as planned, up to 40 years.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, if EPA awards a grant for a Step 3 or Step 3 segment of a primary, secondary, or advanced treatment facility or its interceptors included in the facilities plan before October 1, 1984, the grant for that Step 3 or Step 3 segment, and any remaining segments, may include 20 years reserve capacity.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, after September 30, 1984, no grant shall be made to provide reserve capacity for a project for secondary treatment or more stringent treatment or new interceptors and appurtenances. Grants for such projects shall be based on capacity necessary to serve existing needs (including existing needs of residential, commercial, industrial, and other users) as determined on the date of the approval of the Step 3 grant. Grant assistance awarded after September 30, 1990 shall be limited to the needs existing on September 30, 1990.
(d) For any application with capacity in excess of that provided by this section:
(1) All incremental costs shall be paid by the applicant. Incremental costs include all costs which would not have been incurred but for the additional excess capacity, i.e., any cost in addition to the most cost-effective alternative with eligible reserve capacity described under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.
(2) It must be determined that the actual treatment works to be built meets the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and all applicable laws and regulations.
(3) The Regional Administrator shall approve the plans, specifications and estimates for the actual treatment works.
(4) The grantee shall assure the Regional Administrator satisfactorily that it has assessed the costs and financial impacts of the actual treatment works and has the capability to finance and manage their construction and operation.
(5) The grantee must implement a user charge system which applies to the entire service area of the grantee.
(6) The grantee shall execute appropriate grant conditions or releases protecting the Federal Government from any claim for any of the costs of construction due to the additional capacity.
(a) Grant assistance shall not be provided for a project unless the project is included in a complete waste treatment system and the principal purpose of both the project and the system is for the treatment of domestic wastewater of the entire community, area, region or district concerned.
(b) Allowable project costs do not include:
(1) Costs of interceptor or collector sewers constructed exclusively, or almost exclusively, to serve industrial users; or
(2) Costs for control or removal of pollutants in wastewater introduced into the treatment works by industrial users, unless the applicant is required to remove such pollutants introduced from nonindustrial users.
Grant assistance shall not be provided for costs to transport or treat wastewater produced by a facility that is owned and operated by the Federal Government which contributes more than 250,000 gallons per day or 5 percent of the design flow of the complete waste treatment system, whichever is less.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
The sewer use ordinance (see also §§35.2122 and 35.2208) or other legally binding document shall prohibit any new connections from inflow sources into the treatment works and require that new sewers and connections to the treatment works are properly designed and constructed. The ordinance or other legally binding document shall also require that all wastewater introduced into the treatment works not contain toxics or other pollutants in amounts or concentrations that endanger public safety and physical integrity of the treatment works; cause violation of effluent or water quality limitations; or preclude the selection of the most cost-effective alternative for wastewater treatment and sludge disposal.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
The user charge system (see §§35.2122 and 35.2208) must be designed to produce adequate revenues required for operation and maintenance (including replacement). It shall provide that each user which discharges pollutants that cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent or sludge from the treatment works shall pay for such increased cost. The user charge system shall be based on either actual use under paragraph (a) of this section, ad valorem taxes under paragraph (b) of this section, or a combination of the two.
(a) User charge system based on actual use. A grantee's user charge system based on actual use (or estimated use) of wastewater treatment services shall provide that each user (or user class) pays its proportionate share of operation and maintenance (including replacement) costs of treatment works within the grantee's service area, based on the user's proportionate contribution to the total wastewater loading from all users (or user classes).
(b) User charge system based on ad valorem taxes. A grantee's user charge system which is based on ad valorem taxes may be approved if:
(1) On December 27, 1977, the grantee had in existence a system of dedicated ad valorem taxes which collected revenues to pay the cost of operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment works within the grantee's service area and the grantee has continued to use that system;
(2) The ad valorem user charge system distributes the operation and maintenance (including replacement) costs for all treatment works in the grantee's jurisdiction to the residential and small non-residential user class (including at the grantee's option nonresidential, commercial and industrial users that introduce no more than the equivalent of 25,000 gallons per day of domestic sanitary wastes to the treatment works), in proportion to the use of the treatment works by this class; and
(3) Each member of the industrial user and commercial user class which discharges more than 25,000 gallons per day of sanitary waste pays its share of the costs of operation and maintenance (including replacement) of the treatment works based upon charges for actual use.
(c) Notification. Each user charge system must provide that each user be notified, at least annually, in conjunction with a regular bill (or other means acceptable to the Regional Administrator), of the rate and that portion of the user charges or ad valorem taxes which are attributable to wastewater treatment services.
(d) Financial management system. Each user charge system must include an adequate financial management system that will accurately account for revenues generated by the system and expenditures for operation and maintenance (including replacement) of the treatment system, based on an adequate budget identifying the basis for determining the annual operation and maintenance costs and the costs of personnel, material, energy and administration.
(e) Charges for operation and maintenance for extraneous flows. The user charge system shall provide that the costs of operation and maintenance for all flow not directly attributable to users (i.e., infiltration/inflow) be distributed among all users based upon either of the following:
(1) In the same manner that it distributes the costs for their actual use, or
(2) Under a system which uses one or any combination of the following factors on a reasonable basis:
(i) Flow volume of the users;
(ii) Land area of the users;
(iii) Number of hookups or discharges of the users;
(iv) Property valuation of the users, if the grantee has an approved user charge system based on ad valorem taxes.
(f) After completion of building a project, revenue from the project (e.g., sale of a treatment-related by-product; lease of the land; or sale of crops grown on the land purchased under the grant agreement) shall be used to offset the costs of operation and maintenance. The grantee shall proportionately reduce all user charges.
(g) Adoption of system. One or more municipal legislative enactments or other appropriate authority must incorporate the user charge system. If the project accepts wastewater from other municipalities, the subscribers receiving waste treatment services from the grantee shall adopt user charge systems in accordance with this section. These user charge systems shall also be incorporated in appropriate municipal legislative enactments or other appropriate authority of all municipalities contributing wastes to the treatment works.
(h) Inconsistent agreements. The user charge system shall take precedence over any terms or conditions of agreements or contracts which are inconsistent with the requirements of section 204(b)(1)(A) of the Act and this section.
(i) Low income residential user rates.(1) Grantees may establish lower user charge rates for low income residential users after providing for public notice and hearing. A low income residential user is any residence with a household income below the Federal poverty level as defined in 45 CFR 1060.2 or any residence designated as low income under State law or regulation.
(2) Any lower user charge rate for low income residential users must be defined as a uniform percentage of the user charge rate charged other residential users.
(3) The costs of any user charge reductions afforded a low income residential class must be proportionately absorbed by all other user classes. The total revenue for operation and maintenance (including equipment replacement) of the facilities must not be reduced as a result of establishing a low income residential user class.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
(a) General. The Federal share for each project shall be based on the sum of the total Step 3 or Step 7 allowable costs and the allowance established in the grant agreement under appendix B. Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the Federal share shall be:
(1) 75 percent for grant assistance awarded before October 1, 1984;
(2) 55 percent for grant assistance awarded after September 30, 1984, except as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section; and
(3) Subject to paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, 75 percent for grant assistance awarded after September 30, 1984 and before October 1, 1990, for sequential phases or segments of a primary, secondary, or advanced treatment facility or its interceptors, or infiltration/inflow correction provided:
(i) The treatment works being phased or segmented is described in a facilities plan approved by the Regional Administrator before October 1, 1984;
(ii) The Step 3 grant for the initial phase or segment of the treatment works described in (a)(3)(i) of this section is awarded prior to October 1, 1984; and
(iii) The phase or segment that receives 75 percent funding is necessary to (A) make a phase or segment previously funded by EPA operational and comply with the enforceable requirements of the Act, or (B) complete the treatment works referenced in (a)(3)(i) of this section provided that all phases or segments previously funded by EPA are operational and comply with the enforceable requirements of the Act.
(b) Innovative and alternative technology. In accordance with §35.2032, the Federal share for eligible treatment works or unit processes and techniques that the Regional Administrator determines meet the definition of innovative or alternative technology shall be 20 percent greater than the Federal share under paragraph (a) or (c) of this section, but in no event shall the total Federal share be greater than 85 percent. This increased Federal share depends on the availability of funds from the reserve under §35.2020. The proportional State contribution to the non-Federal share of building costs for I/A projects must be the same as or greater than the proportional State contribution (if any) to the non-Federal share of eligible building costs for all treatment works which receive 75 or 55 percent grants or such other Federal share under paragraph (c) of this section in the State.
(c) A project for which an application for grant assistance has been made before October 1, 1984, but which was under judicial injunction at that time prohibiting its construction, shall be eligible for a grant at 75 percent of the cost of its construction.
(d) Uniform lower Federal share.(1) Except as provided in §35.2032(c) and (d) of this section, the Governor of a State may request the Regional Administrator's approval to revise uniformly throughout the State the Federal share of grant assistance for all future projects. The revised Federal share must apply to all needs categories (see §35.2015(b)(2)).
(2) After EPA awards grant assistance for a project, the Federal share shall be the same for any grant increase that is within the scope of the project.
(3) The uniform lower Federal share established by the Governor does not apply to projects funded under §35.2024(b).
(e) Training facilities. The Federal share of treatment works required to train and upgrade waste treatment works operations and maintenance personnel may be up to 100 percent of the allowable cost of the project.
(1) Where a grant is made to serve two or more States, the Administrator is authorized to make an additional grant for a supplemental facility in each State. The Federal funds awarded to any State under section 109(b) for all training facilities shall not exceed $500,000.
(2) Any grantee who received a grant under section 109(b) before December 27, 1977, may have the grant increased up to $500,000 by funds made available under the Act, not to exceed 100 percent of the allowable costs.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45896, Nov. 4, 1985; 55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
In addition to the EPA General Grant Conditions (http://www.epa.gov/ogd/tc.htm), each treatment works grant shall be subject to the conditions under §§35.2202 through 35.2218.
[79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Prior to initiating action to acquire eligible real property, a Step 2 + 3 grantee shall submit for Regional Administrator review and written approval the information required under §35.2040(b)(7).
(b) Before initiating procurement action for the building of the project, a Step 2 + 3 grantee shall submit for the Regional Administrator's review and written approval the information required under §§35.2040(b)(5) and (6), 35.2106, 35.2107, 35.2130 and 35.2140.
(a) Prior to initiating action to acquire real property, a Step 7 grantee shall submit for Regional Administrator review and written approval the information required under §35.2040(b)(7).
(b) Before approving a Step 7 grant amendment under §25.2036, the Regional Administrator shall determine that the applicant and its project have met the requirements of §§35.2040(b)(6) and (g), 35.2106, 35.2107, and 35.2122.
[55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
(a) Minor changes in the project work that are consistent with the objectives of the project and within the scope of the grant agreement do not require the execution of a formal grant amendment before the grantee's implementation of the change. However, the amount of the funding provided by the grant agreement may only be increased by a formal grant amendment.
(b) The grantee must receive from the Regional Administrator a formal grant amendment before implementing changes which:
(1) Alter the project performance standards;
(2) Alter the type of wastewater treatment provided by the project;
(3) Significantly delay or accelerate the project schedule;
(4) Substantially alter the facilities plan, design drawings and specifications, or the location, size, capacity, or quality of any major part of the project; or
(5) Otherwise require a formal grant amendment under part 30 of this subchapter.
(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, changes to Step 7 projects cannot increase the amount of EPA assistance established at the time of the grant amendment.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990]
(a) Grants awarded on or after the effective date of this regulation. Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, for Step 2 + 3 or Step 3 grants awarded on or after the effective date of this regulation, the maximum allowable project cost will be the sum of:
(1) The allowable cost of the following:
(i) The initial award amount of all project subagreements between the grantee and its contractors;
(ii) The initial amounts approved for force account work to be performed on the project;
(iii) The purchase price of eligible real property; and
(iv) The initial amount approved for project costs not included under paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (a)(1)(iii) of this section, excluding any amounts approved for an allowance under §35.2025 and for contingencies; and
(2) Five percent of the sum of the amounts included under paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (a)(1)(iv) of this section.
(b) Grants awarded before the effective date of the regulation. Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, for Step 2 + 3 or Step 3 grants awarded before the effective date of this regulation, the maximum allowable increase in the cost for work covered by each subagreement finally advertised or, where there will be no advertisement, each subagreement awarded on or after the effective date of this regulation will be five percent of the initial award amount of the subagreement.
(c) Differing site conditions. In determining whether the maximum allowable project cost or increase in subagreement cost will be exceeded, costs of equitable adjustments for differing site conditions will be exempt, provided the requirements of 40 CFR part 35, subpart I, appendix A, paragraph A.1.g. and all other applicable laws and regulations have been met.
[50 FR 46649, Nov. 12, 1985]
(a) The grantee must assure economical and effective operation and maintenance (including replacement) of the treatment works.
(b) Except as provided in paragraphs (c) (1) and (2) of this section, the Regional Administrator shall not pay more than 50 percent of the Federal share of any project unless the grantee has furnished and the Regional Administrator has approved the final plan of operation required by §35.2106, and shall not pay more than 90 percent of the Federal share of any project unless the grantee has furnished and the Regional Administrator has approved an operation and maintenance manual.
(c)(1) In projects where segmenting of a proposed treatment works has occurred, the Regional Administrator shall not pay more than 90 percent of the Federal share of the total allowable costs of the proposed treatment works until the grantee has furnished and the Regional Administrator has approved an operation and maintenance manual.
(2) In projects where a component is placed in operation before completion of the entire project, the Regional Administrator shall not make any additional payment on that project until a final operation and maintenance manual for the operating component is furnished and approved.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
The grantee shall adopt its sewer use ordinance and implement its user charge system developed under §§35.2130 and 35.2140 before the treatment works is placed in operation. Further, the grantee shall implement the user charge system and sewer use ordinance for the useful life of the treatment works.
The grantee shall not acquire real property determined allowable for grant assistance until the Regional Administrator has determined that applicable provisions of 40 CFR part 4 have been met.
The grantee shall submit a report containing the procedure, cost, results and conclusions of any field testing. The report shall be submitted to the Regional Administrator in accordance with a schedule to be specified in the grant agreement.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
(a) The grantee shall expeditiously initiate and complete the project, in accordance with the project schedule contained in the grant application and agreement. Failure to promptly initiate and complete a project may result in the imposition of sanctions under 2 CFR 200.338.
(b) The grantee shall initiate procurement action for building the project promptly after award of a Step 3 grant or, after receiving written approval of the information required under §35.2202 under a Step 2 + 3 grant or, for a Step 7 project, after completing the facilities plan and the preparation of a pre-bid package that is sufficiently detailed to insure that the bids received form the design/build work will be complete, accurate, comparable and will result in a cost-effective operable facility. Public notice of proposed procurement action should be made promptly after Step 3 award or after final approvals for a Step 2 + 3 grant under §35.2202, or after completing the pre-bid package for the Step 7 award. The grantee shall award the subagreement(s) and issue notice(s) to proceed, where required, for building all significant elements of the project within twelve months of the Step 3 award or final Step 2 + 3 approvals.
(c) Failure to promptly award all subagreement(s) for building the project will result in a limitation on allowable costs. (See appendixes A, A.2.e.).
(d) The grantee shall notify the Regional Administrator immediately upon award of the subagreement(s) for building all significant elem
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27097, June 29, 1990; 79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) The grantee shall complete the project in accordance with the grant agreement including: The facilities plan that establishes the need for the project; the design drawings and specifications; the plan of operation under §35.2106 that identifies the basis to determine annual operating costs; the financial management system under §35.2140(d) that adequately accounts for revenues and expenditures; the user charge system under §35.2140 that will generate sufficient revenue to operate and maintain the treatment works; the project schedule; and all other applicable regulations. The grantee shall maintain and operate the project to meet project performance standards including the enforceable requirements of the Act for the design life.
(b) The grantee shall provide the architectural and engineering services and other services necessary to fulfill the obligation in paragraph (a) of this section.
The grantee shall notify the Regional Administrator when the building of the project is complete. Final inspection shall be made by the Regional Administrator after receipt of the notice of building completion.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
(a) The grantee shall notify the Regional Administrator in writing of the actual date of initiation of operation.
(b) Subject to the provisions of 40 CFR part 33, the grantee shall select the engineer or engineering firm principally responsible for either supervising construction or providing architectural and engineering services during construction as the prime engineer to provide the following services during the first year following the initiation of operation:
(1) Direct the operation of the project and revise the operation and maintenance manual as necessary to accommodate actual operating experience;
(2) Train or provide for training of operating personnel and prepare curricula and training material for operating personnel; and
(3) Advise the grantee whether the project is meeting the project performance standards.
(c) On the date one year after the initiation of operation of the project, the grantee shall certify to the Regional Administrator whether the project meets the project performance standards. If the Regional Administrator or the grantee concludes that the project does not meet the project performance standards, the grantee shall submit the following:
(1) A corrective action report which includes an analysis of the cause of the project's failure to meet the performance standards (including the quantity of infiltration/inflow proposed to be eliminated), and an estimate of the nature, scope and cost of the corrective action necessary to bring the project into compliance;
(2) The schedule for undertaking in a timely manner the corrective action necessary to bring the project into compliance; and
(3) The scheduled date for certifying to the Regional Administrator that the project is meeting the project performance standards.
(d) Except as provided in §35.2032(c) the grantee shall take corrective action necessary to bring a project into compliance with the project performance standards at its own expense. This limitation on Federal funding for corrective actions does not apply to training funds under section 104(g)(1) of the Act.
(e) Nothing in this section:
(1) Prohibits a grantee from requiring more assurances, guarantees, or indemnity or other contractual requirements from any party performing project work; or
(2) Affects EPA's right to take remedial action, including enforcement, against a grantee that fails to carry out its obligations under §35.2214.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27098, June 29, 1990]
The Regional Administrator will determine the allowable costs of the project based on applicable provisions of laws and regulations, the scope of the approved project, 2 CFR part 200, subpart E - Cost Principles and appendix A of this subpart.
[79 FR 76056, Dec. 19, 2014]
In the case of grant assistance awarded solely for the acquisition of eligible land, the following provisions are deferred until the award of the ensuing Step 3 assistance for the building of facilities: §§35.2105, 35.2130, 35.2140, 35.2206 and 35.2208.
In the case of grant assistance for field testing of innovative or alternative wastewater process and techniques, the following provisions are deferred until the award of assistance for building the approved facilities: §§35.2105, 35.2106, 35.2122, 35.2130, 35.2140, 35.2206, and 35.2208s.
Except as provided in §35.2206, the Regional Administrator shall pay the Federal share of the allowance under §35.2025 and the allowable project costs incurred to date and currently due and payable by the grantee, as certified in the grantee's most recent payment request.
(a) Adjustment. The Regional Administrator may at any time review and audit request for payment and payments and make appropriate adjustments as provided in 2 CFR 200.305.
(b) Refunds, rebates and credits. The Federal share of any refunds, rebates, credits, or other amounts (including any interest) that accrue to or are received by the grantee for the project, and that are properly allocable to costs for which the grantee has been paid under a grant, must be credited to the current State allotment or paid to the United States. Examples include rebates for prompt payment and sales tax refunds. Reasonable expenses incurred by the grantee securing such refunds, rebates, credits, or other amounts shall be allowable under the grant when approved by the Regional Administrator.
(c) Release. By its acceptance of final payment, the grantee releases and discharges the United States, its officers, agents, and employees from all liabilities, obligations, and claims arising out of the project work or under the grant, subject only to exceptions previously specified in writing between the Regional Administrator and the grantee.
(d) Payment of costs incurred under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act. Notwithstanding the provisions of the introductory paragraph of this section, if the Regional Administrator determines it is necessary for the expeditious completion of a project, he may make advance payment after grant award for the Federal share of the eligible cost of any payment of relocation assistance under §4.502(c) of this chapter by the grantee. The requirements in 2 CFR 200.305 apply to any advances of funds for assistance payments.
(e) Payment under grants to States for advances of allowance- (1) Advance payment to State. Notwithstanding the provisions of the introductory paragraph of this section, the Regional Administrator, under a State grant for advances of allowance (see §35.2025), may make payments on an advance or letter-of-credit payment method in accordance with the requirements under 2 CFR 200.305. The State and the Regional Administrator shall agree to the payment terms.
(2) Assignment. If the State chooses to assign its payments to a potential grant applicant, it shall execute an agreement with the potential grant applicant authorizing direct payment from EPA and establishing appropriate terms for payment. The State shall provide a copy of the agreement to EPA.
(f) Design/build projects. For design/build projects, the Regional Administrator shall not pay more than 95 percent of the grant amount until completion of building and the RA's final project approval (see §35.2036(a)(6)).
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0027)
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27098, June 29, 1990; 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014; 87 FR 30399, May 19, 2022]
(a) Regional Administrator authority. At the grantee's request the Regional Administrator may provide technical and legal assistance in the administration and enforcement of any subagreement related to treatment works for which an EPA grant was made and to intervene in any civil action involving the enforcement of such subagreements, including subagreement disputes which are the subject of either arbitration or court action.
(b) Privity of subagreement. The Regional Administrator's technical or legal involvement in any subagreement dispute will not make EPA a party to any subagreement entered into by the grantee.
(c) Grantee responsibilities. The provision of technical or legal assistance under this section in no way releases the grantee from its obligations under §35.2214, or affects EPA's right to take remedial action, including enforcement, against a grantee that fails to carry out those obligations.
(a) Purpose. The information in this appendix represents Agency policies and procedures for determining the allowability of project costs based on the Clean Water Act, EPA policy, appropriate Federal cost principles of 2 CFR part 200 and reasonableness.
(b) Applicability. This cost information applies to grant assistance awarded on or after the effective date of this regulation. Project cost determinations under this subpart are not limited to the items listed in this appendix. Additional cost determinations based on applicable law and regulations must of course be made on a project-by-project basis. Those cost items not previously included in program requirements are not mandatory for decisions under grants awarded before the effective date. They are only to be used as guidance in those cases.
A. Costs Related to Subagreements
1. Allowable costs related to sub- agreements include:
a. The costs of subagreements for building the project.
b. The costs of complying with the procurement standards in 2 CFR 200.317 through 200.326 and 2 CFR 1500.9 and 1500.10.
c. The cost of legal and engineering services incurred by grantees in deciding procurement protests and defending their decisions in protest appeals in 2 CFR 200.318.
d. The costs for establishing or using minority and women's business liaison services.
e. The costs of services incurred during the building of a project to ensure that it is built in conformance with the design drawings and specifications.
f. The costs (including legal, technical, and administrative costs) of assessing the merits of or negotiating the settlement of a claim by or against a grantee under a subagreement provided:
(1) The claim arises from work within the scope of the grant;
(2) A formal grant amendment is executed specifically covering the costs before they are incurred;
(3) The costs are not incurred to prepare documentation that should be prepared by the contractor to support a claim against the grantee; and
(4) The Regional Administrator determines that there is a significant Federal interest in the issues involved in the claim.
g. Change orders and the costs of meritorious contractor claims for increased costs under subagreements as follows:
(1) Change orders and the costs of meritorious contractor claims provided the costs are:
(i) Within the scope of the project;
(ii) Not caused by the grantee's mismanagement; and
(iii) Not caused by the grantee's vicarious liability for the improper actions of others.
(2) Provided the requirements of paragraph g(1) are met, the following are examples of allowable change orders and contractor claim costs:
(i) Building costs resulting from defects in the plans, design drawings and specifications, or other subagreement documents only to the extent that the costs would have been incurred if the subagreement documents on which the bids were based had been free of the defects, and excluding the costs of any rework, delay, acceleration, or disruption caused by such defects;
(ii) Costs of equitable adjustments under Clause 4, Differing Site Conditions, of the model subagreement clauses required under §33.1030 of this subchapter.
(3) Settlements, arbitration awards, and court judgments which resolve contractor claims shall be reviewed by the grant award official and shall be allowable only to the extent that they meet the requirements of paragraph g(1), are reasonable, and do not attempt to pass on to EPA the cost of events that were the responsibility of the grantee, the contractor, or others.
h. The costs of the services of the prime engineer required by §35.2218 during the first year following initiation of operation of the project.
i. The cost of development of a plan of operation including an operation and maintenance manual required by §35.2106.
j. Start-up services for onsite training of operating personnel in operation and control of specific treatment processes, laboratory procedures, and maintenance and records management.
k. The specific and unique costs of field testing an innovative or alternative process or technique, which may include equipment leasing costs, personnel costs, and utility costs necessary for constructing, conducting, and reporting the results of the field test.
2. Unallowable costs related to sub- agreements include:
a. The costs of architectural or engineering services incurred in preparing a facilities plan and the design drawings and specifications for a project. This provision does not apply to planning and design costs incurred in the modification or replacement of an innovative or alternative project funded under §35.2032(c).
b. Except as provided in 1.g. above, architectural or engineering services or other services necessary to correct defects in a facilities plan, design drawings and specifications, or other subagreement documents.
c. The costs (including legal, technical and administrative) of defending against a contractor claim for increased costs under a subagreement or of prosecuting a claim to enforce any subagreement unless:
(1) The claim arises from work within the scope of the grant;
(2) A formal grant amendment is executed specifically covering the costs before they are incurred;
(3) The claim cannot be settled without arbitration or litigation;
(4) The claim does not result from the grantee's mismanagement;
(5) The Regional Administrator determines that there is a significant Federal interest in the issues involved in the claim; and
(6) In the case of defending against a contractor claim, the claim does not result from the grantee's responsibility for the improper action of others.
d. Bonus payments, not legally required, for completion of building before a contractual completion date.
e. All incremental costs due to the award of any subagreements for building significant elements of the project more than 12 months after the Step 3 grant award or final Step 2 + 3 approvals unless specified in the project schedule approved by the Regional Administrator at the time of grant award.
B. Mitigation
1. Allowable costs include:
a. Costs necessary to mitigate only direct, adverse, physical impacts resulting from building of the treatment works.
b. The costs of site screening necessary to comply with NEPA related studies and facilities plans, or necessary to screen adjacent properties.
c. The cost of groundwater monitoring facilities necessary to determine the possibility of groundwater deterioration, depletion or modification resulting from building the project.
2. Unallowable costs include:
a. The costs of solutions to aesthetic problems, including design details which require expensive building techniques and architectural features and hardware, that are unreasonable or substantially higher in cost than approvable alternatives and that neither enhance the function or appearance of the treatment works nor reflect regional architectural tradition.
b. The cost of land acquired for the mitigation of adverse environmental effects identified pursuant to an environmental review under NEPA.
C. Privately or Publicly Owned Small and Onsite Systems
1. Allowable costs for small and onsite systems serving residences and small commercial establishments inhabited on or before December 27, 1977, include a. through e. below. Alternatively, the two-thirds rule at 40 CFR 35.2116(b) may be used to determine allowable residential flows to be served by publicly owned small and alternative wastewater systems, including a. through e. below:
a. The cost of major rehabilitation, upgrading, enlarging and installing small and onsite systems, but in the case of privately owned systems, only for principal residences.
b. Conveyance pipes from property line to offsite treatment unit which serves a cluster of buildings.
c. Treatment and treatment residue disposal portions of toilets with composting tanks, oil flush mechanisms, or similar in-house devices.
d. Treatment or pumping units from the incoming flange when located on private property and conveyance pipes, if any, to the collector sewer.
e. The cost of restoring individual system building sites to their original condition.
2. Unallowable costs for small and onsite systems include:
a. Modification to physical structure of homes or commercial establishments.
b. Conveyance pipes from the house to the treatment unit located on user's property or from the house to the property line if the treatment unit is not located on that user's property.
c. Wastewater generating fixtures such as commodes, sinks, tubs, and drains.
D. Real Property
1. Allowable costs for land and rights-of-way include:
a. The cost (including associated legal, administrative and engineering costs) of land acquired in fee simple or by lease or easement under grants awarded after October 17, 1972, that will be an integral part of the treatment process or that will be used for the ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment provided the Regional Administrator approves it in the grant agreement. These costs include:
(1) The cost of a reasonable amount of land, considering irregularities in application patterns, and the need for buffer areas, berms, and dikes;
(2) The cost of land acquired for a soil absorption system for a group of two or more homes;
(3) The cost of land acquired for composting or temporary storage of compost residues which result from wastewater treatment;
(4) The cost of land acquired for storage of treated wastewater in land treatment systems before land application. The total land area for construction of a pond for both treatment and storage of wastewater is allowable if the volume necessary for storage is greater then the volume necessary for treatment. Otherwise, the allowable cost will be determined by the ratio of the storage volume to the total volume of the pond.
b. The cost of complying with the requirements of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4621 et seq., 4651 et seq.), under part 4 of this chapter for land necessary for the building of treatment works.
c. The cost of contracting with another public agency or qualified private contractor for part or all of the required acquisition and/or relocation services.
d. The cost associated with the preparation of the treatment works site before, during and, to the extent agreed on in the grant agreement, after building. These costs include:
(1) The cost of demolition of existing structures on the treatment works site (including rights-of-way) if building cannot be undertaken without such demolition;
(2) The cost (considering such factors as betterment, cost of contracting and useful life) of removal, relocation or replacement of utilities, provided the grantee is legally obligated to pay under state or local law; and
(3) The cost of restoring streets and rights-of-way to their original condition. The need for such restoration must result directly from the construction and is generally limited to repaving the width of trench.
e. The cost of acquiring all or part of an existing publicly or privately owned wastewater treatment works provided all the following criteria are met:
(1) The acquisition, in and of itself, considered apart from any upgrade, expansion or rehabilitation, provides new pollution control benefits;
(2) The acquired treatment works was not built with previous Federal or State financial assistance;
(3) The primary purpose of the acquisition is not the reduction, elimination, or redistribution of public or private debt; and
(4) The acquisition does not circumvent the requirements of the Act, these regulations, or other Federal, State or local requirements.
2. Unallowable costs for land and rights-of-way include:
a. The costs of acquisition (including associated legal, administrative and engineering etc.) of sewer rights-of-way, waste treatment plant sites (including small system sites), sanitary landfill sites and sludge disposal areas except as provided in paragraphs 1. a. and b. of this section.
b. Any amount paid by the grantee for eligible land in excess of just compensation, based on the appraised value, the grantee's record of negotiation or any condemnation proceeding, as determined by the Regional Administrator.
c. Removal, relocation or replacement of utilities located on land by privilege, such as franchise.
E. Equipment, Materials and Supplies
1. Allowable costs of equipment, materials and supplies include:
a. The cost of a reasonable inventory of laboratory chemicals and supplies necessary to initiate plant operations and laboratory items necessary to conduct tests required for plant operation.
b. The costs for purchase and/or transportation of biological seeding materials required for expeditiously initiating the treatment process operation.
c. Cost of shop equipment installed at the treatment works necessary to the operation of the works.
d. The costs of necessary safety equipment, provided the equipment meets applicable Federal, State, local or industry safety requirements.
e. A portion of the costs of collection system maintenance equipment. The portion of allowable costs shall be the total equipment cost less the cost attributable to the equipment's anticipated use on existing collection sewers not funded on the grant. This calculation shall be based on: (1) The portion of the total collection system paid for by the grant, (2) a demonstrable frequency of need, and (3) the need for the equipment to preclude the discharge or bypassing of untreated wastewater.
f. The cost of mobile equipment necessary for the operation of the overall wastewater treatment facility, transmission of wastewater or sludge, or for the maintenance of equipment. These items include:
(1) Portable stand-by generators;
(2) Large portable emergency pumps to provide “pump-around” capability in the event of pump station failure or pipeline breaks; and
(3) Sludge or septage tankers, trailers, and other vehicles having as their sole purpose the transportation of liquid or dewatered wastes from the collector point (including individual or on-site systems) to the treatment facility or disposal site.
g. Replacement parts identified and approved in advance by the Regional Administrator as necessary to assure uninterrupted operation of the facility, provided they are critical parts or major systems components which are:
(1) Not immediately available and/or whose procurement involves an extended “lead-time;”
(2) Identified as critical by the equipment supplier(s); or
(3) Critical but not included in the inventory provided by the equipment supplier(s).
2. Unallowable costs of equipment, materials and supplies include:
a. The costs of equipment or material procured in violation of the procurement standards in 2 CFR 200.317 through 2 CFR 200.326 and 2 CFR 1500.9 and 1500.10.
b. The cost of furnishings including draperies, furniture and office equipment.
c. The cost of ordinary site and building maintenance equipment such as lawnmowers and snowblowers.
d. The cost of vehicles for the transportation of the grantees' employees.
e. Items of routine “programmed” maintenance such as ordinary piping, air filters, couplings, hose, bolts, etc.
F. Industrial and Federal Users
1. Except as provided in paragraph F.2.a., allowable costs for treatment works serving industrial and Federal facilities include development of a municipal pretreatment program approvable under part 403 of this chapter, and purchase of monitoring equipment and construction of facilities to be used by the municipal treatment works in the pretreatment program.
2. Unallowable costs for treatment works serving industrial and Federal facilities include:
a. The cost of developing an approvable municipal pretreatment program when performed solely for the purpose of seeking an allowance for removal of pollutants under part 403 of this chapter.
b. The cost of monitoring equipment used by industry for sampling and analysis of industrial discharges to municipal treatment works.
c. All incremental costs for sludge management incurred as a result of the grantee providing removal credits to industrial users under 40 CFR 403.7 beyond those sludge management costs that would otherwise be incurred in the absence of such removal credits.
G. Infiltration/Inflow
1. Allowable costs include:
a. The cost of treatment works capacity adequate to transport and treat nonexcessive infiltration/inflow under §35.2120.
b. The costs of sewer system rehabilitation necessary to eliminate excessive infiltration/inflow as determined in a sewer system study under §35.2120.
2. Unallowable costs include:
a. When the Regional Administrator determines that the flow rate is not significantly more than 120 gallons per capita per day under §35.2120(c)(2)(ii), the incremental cost of treatment works capacity which is more than 120 gallons per capita per day.
H. Miscellaneous Costs
1. Allowable costs include:
a. The costs of salaries, benefits and expendable materials the grantee incurs for the project.
b. Unless otherwise specified in this regulation, the costs of meeting specific Federal statutory procedures.
c. Costs for necessary travel directly related to accomplishment of project objectives. Travel not directly related to a specific project, such as travel to professional meetings, symposia, technology transfer seminars, lectures, etc., may be recovered only under an indirect cost agreement.
d. The costs of additions to a treatment works that was assisted under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1956 (Pub. L. 84-660), or its amendments, and that fails to meet its project performance standards provided:
(1) The project is identified on the State priority list as a project for additions to a treatment works that has received previous Federal funds;
(2) The grant application for the additions includes an analysis of why the treatment works cannot meet its project performance standards; and
(3) The additions could have been included in the original grant award and:
(a) Are the result of one of the following:
(i) A change in the project performance standards required by EPA or the State;
(ii) A written understanding between the Regional Administrator and grantee prior to or included in the original grant award;
(iii) A written direction by the Regional Administrator to delay building part of the treatment works; or
(iv) A major change in the treatment works' design criteria that the grantee cannot control; or
(b) Meet all the following conditions:
(i) If the original grant award was made after December 28, 1981, the treatment works has not completed its first full year of operation;
(ii) The additions are not caused by the grantee's mismanagement or the improper actions of others;
(iii) The costs of rework, delay, acceleration or disruption that are a result of building the additions are not included in the grant; and
(iv) The grant does not include an allowance for facilities planning or design of the additions.
(4) This provision applies to failures that occur either before or after the initiation of operation. This provision does not cover a treatment works that fails at the end of its design life.
e. Costs of royalties for the use of or rights in a patented process or product with the prior approval of the Regional Administrator.
f. Costs allocable to the water pollution control purpose of multiple purpose projects as determined by applying the Alternative Justifiable Expenditure (AJE) method described in the CG series. Multiple purpose projects that combine wastewater treatment with recreation do not need to use the AJE method, but can be funded at the level of the most cost-effective single-purpose alternative.
g. Costs of grantee employees attending training workshops/seminars that are necessary to provide instruction in administrative, fiscal or contracting procedures required to complete the construction of the treatment works, if approved in advance by the Regional Administrator.
2. Unallowable costs include:
a. Ordinary operating expenses of the grantee including salaries and expenses of elected and appointed officials and preparation of routine financial reports and studies.
b. Preparation of applications and permits required by Federal, State or local regulations or procedures.
c. Administrative, engineering and legal activities associated with the establishment of special departments, agencies, commissions, regions, districts or other units of government.
d. Approval, preparation, issuance and sale of bonds or other forms of indebtedness required to finance the project and the interest on them.
e. The costs of replacing, through reconstruction or substitution, a treatment works that was assisted under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1956 (Pub. L. 84-660), or its amendments, and that fails to meet its project performance standards. This provision applies to failures that occur either before or after the initiation of operation. This provision does not apply to an innovative and alternative treatment works eligible for funding under §35.2032(c) or a treatment works that fails at the end of its design life or to a failed rotating biological contactor eligible for funding under §35.2035.
f. Personal injury compensation or damages arising out of the project.
g. Fines and penalties due to violations of, or failure to comply with, Federal, State or local laws, regulations or procedures.
h. Costs outside the scope of the approved project.
i. Costs for which grant payment has been or will be received from another Federal agency.
j. Costs of treatment works for control of pollutant discharges from a separate storm sewer system.
k. The cost of treatment works that would provide capacity for new habitation or other establishments to be located on environmentally sensitive land such as wetlands or floodplains.
l. The costs of preparing a corrective action report required by §35.2218(c).
I. Design/Build Project Grants
1. Allowable costs include:
a. The costs of supplementing the facilities plan to prepare the pre-bid package including the cost of preliminary boring and site plans, concept and layout drawings, schematic, general material and major equipment lists and specifications, instructions to builders, general and special conditions, project performance standards and permit limits, applicable State or other design standards, any requirements to go into bid analyses, and other contract documents, schedules, forms and certificates.
b. The costs for building the project, including:
(1) Project costs based on the lowest responsive, responsible competitive design/build project bid.
(2) Construction management services including detailed plans and specifications review and approval, change order review and approval, resident inspection, shop drawing approval and preparation of an O & M manual and of user charge and sewer use ordinance systems.
(3) Any adjustments to reflect the actual reasonable and necessary costs for preparing the pre-bid package.
(4) Post-construction activities required by project performance certification requirements.
(5) Contract and project administration activities including the review of contractor vouchers and payment requests, preparation of monitoring reports, grant administration and accounting services, routine legal costs, cost of eligible real property.
(6) Contingencies.
2. Unallowable costs include:
a. All costs in excess of the maximum agreed Federal share.
b. Costs of facilities planning where the grantee has received a Step 1 grant.
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 50 FR 45896, Nov. 4, 1985; 55 FR 27098, June 29, 1990; 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
1. This appendix provides the method EPA will use to determine both the estimated and the final allowance under §35.2025 for facilities planning and design. The Step 2 + 3, Step 3 and Step 7 grant agreements will include an estimate of the allowance.
2. The Federal share of the allowance is determined by applying the applicable grant percentage in §35.2152 to the allowance.
3. The allowance is not intended to reimburse the grantee for costs actually incurred for facilities planning or design. Rather, the allowance is intended to assist in defraying those costs. Under this procedure, questions of equity (i.e., reimbursement on a dollar-for-dollar basis) will not be appropriate.
4. The estimated and final allowance will be determined in accordance with this appendix and tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 2 is to be used in the event the grantee received a grant for facilities planning. Table 3 is to be used to determine the facilities planning allowance for a Step 7 grant if the grantee did not receive a Step 1 grant. The amount of the allowance is computed by applying the resulting allowance percentage to the initial allowable building cost.
5. The initial allowable building cost is the initial allowable cost of erecting, altering, remodeling, improving, or extending a treatment works, whether accomplished through subagreement or force account. Specifically, the initial allowable building cost is the allowable cost of the following:
a. The initial award amount of all prime subagreements for building the project.
b. The initial amounts approved for force account work performed in lieu of awarding a subagreement for building the project.
c. The purchase price of eligible real property.
6. The estimated allowance is to be based on the estimate of the initial allowable building cost.
7. The final allowance will be determined one time only for each project, based on the initial allowable building cost, and will not be adjusted for subsequent cost increases or decreases.
8. For a Step 3 or Step 7 project, the grantee may request payment of 50 percent of the Federal share of the estimated allowance immediately after grant award. Final payment of the Federal share of the allowance may be requested in the first payment after the grantee has awarded all prime subagreements for building the project, received the Regional Administrator's approval for force account work, and completed the acquisition of all eligible real property.
9. For a Step 2 + 3 project, if the grantee has not received a grant for facilities planning, the grantee may request payment of 30 percent of the Federal share of the estimated allowance immediately after the grant award. Half of the remaining estimated allowance may be requested when design of the project is 50 percent complete. If the grantee has received a grant for facilities planning, the grantee may request half of the Federal share of the estimated allowance when design of the project is 50 percent complete. Final payment of the Federal share of the allowance may be requested in the first payment after the grantee has awarded all prime subagreements for building the project, received the Regional Administrator's approval for force account work, and completed the acquisition of all eligible real property.
10. The allowance does not include architect or engineering services provided during the building of the project, e.g., reviewing bids, checking shop drawings, reviewing change orders, making periodic visits to job sites, etc. Architect or engineering services during the building of the project are allowable costs subject to this regulation and 40 CFR part 33.
11. The State will determine the amount and conditions of any advance under §35.2025(b), not to exceed the Federal share of the estimated allowance.
12. EPA will reduce the Federal share of the allowance by the amount of any advances the grantee received under §35.2025(b).
| Building cost | Allowance as a percentage of building cost* |
|---|---|
| $100,000 or less | 14.4945 |
| 120,000 | 14.1146 |
| 150,000 | 13.6631 |
| 175,000 | 13.3597 |
| 200,000 | 13.1023 |
| 250,000 | 12.6832 |
| 300,000 | 12.3507 |
| 350,000 | 12.0764 |
| 400,000 | 11.8438 |
| 500,000 | 11.4649 |
| 600,000 | 11.1644 |
| 700,000 | 10.9165 |
| 800,000 | 10.7062 |
| 900,000 | 10.5240 |
| 1,000,000 | 10.3637 |
| 1,200,000 | 10.0920 |
| 1,500,000 | 9.7692 |
| 1,750,000 | 9.5523 |
| 2,000,000 | 9.3682 |
| 2,500,000 | 9.0686 |
| 3,000,000 | 8.8309 |
| 3,500,000 | 8.6348 |
| 4,000,000 | 8.4684 |
| 5,000,000 | 8.1975 |
| 6,000,000 | 7.9827 |
| 7,000,000 | 7.8054 |
| 8,000,000 | 7.6550 |
| 9,000,000 | 7.5248 |
| 10,000,000 | 7.4101 |
| 12,000,000 | 7.2159 |
| 15,000,000 | 6.9851 |
| 17,500,000 | 6.8300 |
| 20,000,000 | 6.6984 |
| 25,000,000 | 6.4841 |
| 30,000,000 | 6.3142 |
| 35,000,000 | 6.1739 |
| 40,000,000 | 6.0550 |
| 50,000,000 | 5.8613 |
| 60,000,000 | 5.7077 |
| 70,000,000 | 5.5809 |
| 80,000,000 | 5.4734 |
| 90,000,000 | 5.3803 |
| 100,000,000 | 5.2983 |
| 120,000,000 | 5.1594 |
| 150,000,000 | 4.9944 |
| 175,000,000 | 4.8835 |
| 200,000,000 | 4.7894 |
| Note: The allowance does not reimburse for costs incurred. Accordingly, the allowance tables shall not be used to determine the compensation for facilities planning or design services. The compensation for facilities planning or design services should be based upon the nature, scope and complexity of the services required by the community. *Interpolate between values. | |
| Building cost | Allowance as a percentage of building cost* |
|---|---|
| $100,000 or less | 8.5683 |
| 120,000 | 8.3808 |
| 150,000 | 8.1570 |
| 175,000 | 8.0059 |
| 200,000 | 7.8772 |
| 250,000 | 7.6668 |
| 300,000 | 7.4991 |
| 350,000 | 7.3602 |
| 400,000 | 7.2419 |
| 500,000 | 7.0485 |
| 600,000 | 6.8943 |
| 700,000 | 6.7666 |
| 800,000 | 6.6578 |
| 900,000 | 6.5634 |
| 1,000,000 | 6.4300 |
| 1,200,000 | 6.3383 |
| 1,500,000 | 6.1690 |
| 1,750,000 | 6.0547 |
| 2,000,000 | 5.9574 |
| 2,500,000 | 5.7983 |
| 3,000,000 | 5.6714 |
| 3,500,000 | 5.5664 |
| 4,000,000 | 5.4769 |
| 5,000,000 | 5.3306 |
| 6,000,000 | 5.2140 |
| 7,000,000 | 5.1174 |
| 8,000,000 | 5.0352 |
| 9,000,000 | 4.9637 |
| 10,000,000 | 4.9007 |
| 12,000,000 | 4.7935 |
| 15,000,000 | 4.6655 |
| 17,500,000 | 4.5790 |
| 20,000,000 | 4.5054 |
| 25,000,000 | 4.3851 |
| 30,000,000 | 4.2892 |
| 35,000,000 | 4.2097 |
| 40,000,000 | 4.1421 |
| 50,000,000 | 4.0314 |
| 60,000,000 | 3.9432 |
| 70,000,000 | 3.8702 |
| 80,000,000 | 3.8080 |
| 90,000,000 | 3.7540 |
| 100,000,000 | 3.7063 |
| 120,000,000 | 3.6252 |
| 150,000,000 | 3.5284 |
| 175,000,000 | 3.4630 |
| 200,000,000 | 3.4074 |
| Note: The allowance does not reimburse for costs incurred. Accordingly, the allowance tables shall not be used to determine the compensation for facilities planning or design services. The compensation for facilities planning or design services should be based upon the nature, scope and complexity of the services required by the community. *Interpolate between values. | |
| Building cost (dollars) | Allowance as a percentage of building cost* |
|---|---|
| 100,000 or less | 5.9262 |
| 120,000 | 5.7337 |
| 150,000 | 5.5061 |
| 175,000 | 5.3538 |
| 200,000 | 5.2250 |
| 250,000 | 5.0163 |
| 300,000 | 4.8516 |
| 350,000 | 4.7162 |
| 400,000 | 4.6019 |
| 500,000 | 4.4164 |
| 600,000 | 4.2701 |
| 700,000 | 4.1499 |
| 800,000 | 4.0483 |
| 900,000 | 3.9606 |
| 1,000,000 | 3.8837 |
| 1,200,000 | 3.7538 |
| 1,500,000 | 3.6003 |
| 1,750,000 | 3.4976 |
| 2,000,000 | 3.4109 |
| 2,500,000 | 3.2703 |
| 3,000,000 | 3.1595 |
| 3,500,000 | 3.0684 |
| 4,000,000 | 2.9915 |
| 5,000,000 | 2.8669 |
| 6,000,000 | 2.7686 |
| 7,000,000 | 2.6880 |
| 8,000,000 | 2.6198 |
| Note: Building cost is the sum of the allowable cost of (1) the initial award amount of the prime subagreement for building and designing the project; and (2) the purchase price of eligible real property. *Interpolate between values. | |
[49 FR 6234, Feb. 17, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 27098, June 29, 1990]
Authority: Sections 205(g) and 518(e) of the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et. seq.
(a) This regulation establishes policies and procedures for the development, management, and EPA overview of State administration of the wastewater treatment works construction grants program under section 205(g) of the Clean Water Act, as amended. The delegation agreement between EPA and the State is a precondition for construction management assistance under section 205(g). Program requirements for other assistance agreements authorized by section 205(g) for activities under sections 402 and 404 and section 208(b)(4) are provided in part 130. Administration of all section 205(g) assistance agreements follows the procedures established in subpart A of this part.
(b) A State, for purposes of receiving delegation of construction grant program responsibilities under this subpart, shall include a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands (Palau), the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and any Indian Tribe, band, group, or community recognized by the Secretary of the Interior and exercising governmental authority over a Federal Indian reservation, provided that the Tribe satisfies the following criteria:
(1) The Indian Tribe has a governing body carrying out substantial governmental duties and powers. The Tribe must submit a narrative statement to the Regional Administrator describing the form of the Tribal government, describing the types of essential governmental functions currently performed and identifying the source of the authority to perform these functions.
(2) The functions to be exercised by the Indian Tribe pertain to the management and protection of water resources which are held by an Indian Tribe, held by the United States in trust for Indians, held by a member of an Indian Tribe if such property is subject to a trust restriction on alienation, or otherwise within the borders of an Indian reservation. Assertions by the Indian Tribe with respect to this criterion will be provided by EPA to adjacent governmental entities in accordance with 40 CFR 130.15.
(3) The Indian Tribe is reasonably expected to be capable, in the Regional Administrator's judgment, of carrying out the functions to be exercised in a manner consistent with the terms and purposes of the Clean Water Act and applicable regulations.
(c) Where a Tribe has previously qualified for treatment as a State under a Clean Water Act or Safe Drinking Water Act program, the Tribe need only provide the required information which had not been submitted in a previous treatment as a State application.
[48 FR 37818, Aug. 19, 1983, as amended at 55 FR 27098, June 29, 1990]
(a) EPA's policy is to delegate management of the wastewater treatment works construction grant program to the maximum extent possible consistent with the objectives of the Act, prudent fiscal management, and EPA's overall national responsibility for the program. The policy is premised on an on-going partnership between EPA and the States that includes consultation with the States in formulation of policy and guidance by EPA. EPA expects States to undertake full delegation of all project level activities, including preliminary determinations of non-delegable requirements. The objective of delegation is to eliminate duplication of Federal and State effort in the management of the construction grant program, to increase State participation in the construction grant program, and to improve operating efficiency.
(b) Program delegation is to be accomplished through a formal delegation agreement between the Regional Administrator and the State. The delegation agreement will specify the functions which the State will perform and procedures for State certification to EPA.
(c) EPA will overview the performance of the program under delegation to ensure that progress is being made toward meeting the construction grant program objectives and that the State is continuing to employ administrative, fiscal, and program controls to guard against fraud, misuse, and mismanagement of public funds. Overview will also include review of the State management process to ensure it is efficient, effective and assures timely State reviews.
(a) Before execution of the delegation agreement, the Regional Administrator must determine that the unit of the State agency designated to implement the agreement is capable of carrying out the delegated functions. The Regional Administrator will evaluate those aspects of the unit which directly affect the State's capability to implement the agreement.
(b) In the delegation agreement, the State agency will assure the Regional Administrator that it will execute its responsibilities under the delegation agreement in conformance with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, orders, and policies.
(c) The delegation agreement will:
(1) Designate the organizational unit within the State responsible for the implementation of the delegation agreement;
(2) List the functions delegated and functions to be delegated, with a schedule for their assumption by the State;
(3) Identify procedures to be followed and records to be kept by the State and EPA in carrying out each delegated function;
(4) Identify the staffing, hiring, training, and funding necessary to carry out the delegated functions;
(5) Estimate program costs by year for the term of the delegation agreement;
(6) Identify an accounting system, acceptable to the Regional Administrator, which will properly identify and relate State costs to the conduct of delegated functions; and
(7) Identify the form and content of the system for EPA overview of State performance consistent with the requirements in §35.3025 of this subpart, including the frequency, method, and extent of monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
(d) The term of the delegation agreement shall generally be five years. As subsequent construction management assistance is awarded, the delegation agreement may be amended to maintain a five-year period.
(e) The delegation agreement will be revised, as necessary, to reflect substantial program or procedural changes, as determined by the Regional Administrator.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2000-0417)
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, the Regional Administrator may delegate to the State agency authority to review and certify all construction grant documents required before and after grant award and to perform all construction grant review and management activities necessary to administer the construction grants program.
(b) The State may also act as the manager of waste treatment construction grant projects for small communities. The State, with the approval of the community, may serve as the community contracting agent and undertake responsibilities such as negotiating subagreements, providing technical assistance, and assisting the community in exercising its resident engineering responsibility. In this capacity, the State is in the same position as a private entity and cannot require a small community to hold the State harmless from negligent acts or omissions. The State may also execute an agreement with any organization within the State government, other than the State agency, which is capable of performing these services. The terms of the agreement to provide these services to small communities must be approved by the Regional Administrator before execution of the agreement.
(c) The Regional Administrator shall retain overall responsibility for the construction grant program and exercise direct authority for the following:
(1) Construction grant assistance awards, grant amendments, payments, and terminations;
(2) Projects where an overriding Federal interest requires greater Federal involvement;
(3) Final determinations under Federal statutes and Executive Orders (e.g., the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), except for sections 201, 203, 204, and 212 of the Clean Water Act;
(4) Final resolution of construction grant audit exceptions; and
(5) Procurement determinations listed under 40 CFR 33.001(g).
(a) The State will furnish a written certification to the Regional Administrator for each construction grant project application submitted to EPA for award. The certification must state that all Federal requirements, within the scope of authority delegated to the State under the delegation agreement, have been met. This certification must be supported by documentation specified in the delegation agreement. The documentation must be made available to the Regional Administrator upon request.
(b) Certification that a construction grant project application complies with all delegable pre-award requirements consists of certification of compliance with the following sections of subpart I of this part: §35.2030 (Facilities planning); §35.2040(a) and (b) (Grant application); §35.2042 (Review of grant applications); and §§35.2100 (Limitations on award) through and including 35.2125, except for §35.2101 (Advanced treatment reviews for projects with incremental capital advanced treatment costs of over $3 million), §35.2112 (Marine waiver discharge applicants), and §35.2113 (final decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act).
The Regional Administrator will review the performance of a delegated State through an annual overview program, developed in accordance with procedures agreed to in the delegation agreement (§35.3010(c)(7)). The purpose of the overview program is to ensure that both the delegated State and EPA efficiently and effectively execute the fiscal and program responsiblilities under the Clean Water Act and related legislation. The overview program is comprised of three steps:
(a) Developing a plan for overview. The plan for overview specifies priority objectives, key measures of performance, and monitoring and evaluation activities (including State reporting to EPA) for the upcoming year. EPA and the State should agree to a plan for overview in advance of the upcoming year.
(1) Priority objectives will include both program and management objectives. In developing the State priority objectives, the national priorities identified by the Administrator on an annual basis must, at a minimum, be addressed and applied as appropriate to each State. In addition, the Regional Administrator and the State may identify other objectives unique to the situation in the State.
(2) For each priority objective, the plan for overview will specify key measures of performance (both quantitative and qualitative), identify which measures will require the negotiation of outputs, and enumerate the specific monitoring and evaluation activities and methods planned for the upcoming year.
(b) Negotiating annual outputs. Annually, the Region and delegated State will negotiate and agree upon outputs, where required by the plan for overview, to cover priority objectives for the upcoming year. This negotiation should also result in development of the work program required for the section 205(g) assistance application, pursuant to subpart A, §35.130 of this part. Where the assistance application covers a budget period beyond the annual overview program period, the assistance award may be made for the full budget period, contingent on future negotiation of annual outputs under this paragraph for subsequent years of the budget period.
(c) Monitoring and evaluating program performance. Monitoring and evaluation of program performance (including State reporting) is based on the plan for overview agreed to in advance and should be appropriate to the delegation situation existing between the Region and State. It should take into account past performance of the State and the extent of State experience in administering the delegated functions. An on-site evaluation will occur at least annually and will cover, at a minimum, negotiated annual outputs, performance expected in the delegation agreement and, where applicable, evaluation of performance under the assistance agreement as provided in 40 CFR 35.150. The evaluation will cover performance of both the Region and the State. Upon completion of the evaluation, the delegation agreement may be revised, if necessary, to reflect changes resulting from the evaluation. The Regional Administrator may terminate or annul any section 205(g) financial assistance for cause in accordance with 2 CFR 200.339 through 2 CFR 200.343, Remedies for Noncompliance.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2000-0417)
[48 FR 37818, Aug. 19, 1983, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014; 87 FR 30399, May 19, 2022
(a) Any construction grant application or grantee who has been adversely affected by a State's action or omission may request Regional review of such action or omission, but must first submit a petition for review to the State agency that made the initial decision. The State agency will make a final decision in accordance with procedures set forth in the delegation agreement. The State must provide, in writing, normally within 45 days of the date it receives the petition, the basis for its decision regarding the disputed action or omission. The final State decision must be labeled as such and, if adverse to the applicant or grantee, must include notice of the right to request Regional review of the State decision under this section. A State's failure to address the disputed action or omission in a timely fashion, or in writing, will not preclude Regional review.
(b) Requests for Regional review must include:
(1) A copy of any written State decision.
(2) A statement of the amount in dispute,
(3) A description of the issues involved, and
(4) A concise statement of the objections to the State decision.
The request must be filed by registered mail, return receipt requested, within thirty days of the date of the State decision or within a reasonable time if the State fails to respond in writing to the request for review.
(c) The Region shall determine whether the State's review is comparable to a dispute decision official's (DDO) review pursuant to 2 CFR part 1500, subpart E. If the State's review is comparable, Regional review of the State's decision will be conducted by the Regional Administrator. If the State's review is not comparable, the DDO will review the State's decision and issue a written decision. Review of either a Regional Administrator or DDO decision may be requested pursuant to 2 CFR part 1500, subpart E.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0095)
[50 FR 45896, Nov. 4, 1985, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Public participation during the development, review, approval, and substantial revision of the delegation agreement will be in accordance with the requirements of section 101(e) of the Act, part 25 of this chapter, and this subpart.
(b) The Regional Administrator or the State, as mutually agreed, will make the draft delegation agreement, any proposed substantial amendment to the delegation agreement, and the proposed annual overview program, available to the public for comment, and provide notice of availability, sufficiently in advance of execution to allow for timely comment.
(c) If, based on comments received, the Regional Administrator or State determines that significant interest exists, the State and EPA will consult with interested and affected groups and citizens prior to execution of the delegation agreement, substantial amendment, or annual overview program. If the Regional Administrator or State determines that significant interest and desire for a public meeting exist, the Region or State will hold one or more public meetings at least 30 days prior to execution.
Authority: Sections 205(m), 501(a) and title VI of the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1285(m), 33 U.S.C. 1361(a), 33 U.S.C. 1381-1387.
(a) The Agency intends to implement the State water pollution control revolving fund program in a manner that preserves for States a high degree of flexibility for operating their revolving funds in accordance with each State's unique needs and circumstances. The purpose of these regulations is to advance the general intent of title VI of the Clean Water Act, which is to ensure that each State's program is designed and operated to continue providing assistance for water pollution control activities in perpetuity.
(b) These regulations reflect statutory and program requirements that have been previously published in the Initial Guidance for State Revolving Funds, which was signed by the Assistant Administrator for Water on January 28, 1988, and the supplementary memorandum to the Initial Guidance for State Revolving Funds, which was signed by the Assistant Administrator for Water on September 30, 1988. Copies of both documents can be obtained by writing the Office of Municipal Pollution Control (WH-546), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
(c) These regulations supplement title VI by codifying all major program requirements, applicable to the SRF program. EPA will not impose additional major program requirements without an opportunity for affected parties to comment. The process for amending this regulation to incorporate these requirements will begin within three months of their issuance.
Words and terms that are not defined below and that are used in this rule shall have the same meaning they are given in 2 CFR part 200 Subpart A - Acronyms and Definitions and 40 CFR part 35, subpart I.
(a) Act. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, more commonly known as the Clean Water Act (Pub. L. 92-500), as amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100-4). 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.
(b) Binding Commitment. A legal obligation by the State to a local recipient that defines the terms for assistance under the SRF.
(c) Capitalization Grant. The assistance agreement by which the EPA obligates and awards funds allotted to a State for purposes of capitalizing that State's revolving fund.
(d) Cash draw. The transfer of cash under a letter of credit (LOC) from the Federal Treasury into the State's SRF.
(e) Disbursement. The transfer of cash from an SRF to an assistance recipient.
(f) Equivalency projects. Those section 212 wastewater treatment projects constructed in whole or in part before October 1, 1994, with funds “directly made available by” the capitalization grant. These projects must comply with the requirements of section 602(b)(6) of the Act.
(g) Funds “directly made available by” capitalization grants. Funds equaling the amount of the grant.
(h) Payment. An action by the EPA to increase the amount of capitalization grant funds available for cash draw from an LOC.
(i) SRF. State water pollution control revolving fund.
[55 FR 10178, Mar. 19, 1990, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Generally. Before the Regional Administrator (RA) may award a capitalization grant, the State must establish an SRF that complies with section 603 of the Act and this rule.
(b) SRF accounts. The SRF can be established within a multiple-purpose State financing program. However, the SRF must be a separate account or series of accounts that is dedicated solely to providing loans and other forms of financial assistance, but not grants.
(c) SRF administration. The SRF must be administered by an instrumentality of the State that is empowered to manage the Fund in accordance with the requirements of the Act. Where more than one agency of the State is involved in administering the activities of the State's program, the functions and the relationships of those agencies must be established to the satisfaction of the RA.
(d) Documentation of the establishment of an SRF program.(1) As part of its initial application for the capitalization grant, the State must furnish the RA with documentation of the establishment of an SRF and designation of the State instrumentality that will administer the SRF in accordance with the Act.
(2) With each capitalization grant application, the State's Attorney General (AG), or someone designated by the AG, must sign or concur in a certification that the State legislation establishing the SRF and the powers it confers are consistent with State law, and that the State may legally bind itself to the terms of the capitalization grant agreement.
(3) Where waiting for the AG's signature or concurrence would by itself significantly delay awarding the first grant (i.e., there are no other issues holding up the award), the head or chief legal officer of the State agency which has direct responsibility for administering the SRF program may sign the certification at the time of the capitalization grant award, provided the capitalization grant agreement contains a special condition requiring the State to submit the AG/designee's concurrence to EPA within a reasonable time, not to exceed 120 days, after the grant is awarded.
(e) Allotment.(1) Appropriations for fiscal years 1987 through 1990 under both title II and title VI programs will be allotted in accordance with the formula contained in section 205(c)(3) of the Act.
(2) Title VI funds are available for the Agency to obligate to the State during the fiscal year in which they are allotted and during the following fiscal year. The amount of any title VI allotment not obligated to the State at the end of this period of availability will be reallotted for title VI purposes in accordance with 40 CFR 35.2010.
(3) A State that does not receive grants that obligate all the funds allotted to it under title VI in the first year of its availability will not receive reallotted funds from that appropriation.
(4) Notwithstanding 40 CFR 35.910 and 40 CFR 35.2010(a), deobligations and reallotments of title II funds may be transferred to a title VI capitalization grant regardless of either the year in which the title II funds were originally allotted or the year in which they are deobligated or reallotted.
(f) Transfer of title II allotments. A State may exercise the option to transfer a portion of its title II allotment for deposit, through a capitalization grant, into an established water pollution control revolving fund, under section 205(m) of the Act.
(1) If the State elects this option, the Governor of the State must submit a Notice of Intent to the RA specifying the amount of the title II allotment the State intends to use for title VI purposes during the fiscal year for which it is submitted. The Notice may also identify anticipated, unobligated title II funds from the prior fiscal year, and request transfer of those funds as well.
(2) Each Notice of Intent must be submitted on or before July 3 of the year preceding the Federal fiscal year in which those funds are available. If a State fails to file a Notice of Intent on or before the prescribed date, then the State may not transfer title II allotments into an SRF in the upcoming fiscal year. A timely Notice of Intent may be later withdrawn or amended.
(3) When the capitalization grant is awarded, funds requested under section 205(m) of the Act will be obligated under title VI for the activities of the SRF. If a Notice of Intent anticipates transfer of funds under the authority of section 205(m), but those funds are not so obligated by the end of the two year period of availability, they will be subject to reallotment as construction grant funds.
(g) Reserves and transferred allotments.(1) Funds reserved under section 205(g) of the Act can be used to develop SRF programs. However, before any of these funds may be used for purposes of the SRF, the State must establish to the satisfaction of the RA that adequate funds, up to the section 205(g) maximum, will be available from any source to administer the construction grants program.
(2) Funds reserved under sections 205(j)(1) and 205(j)(5) of the Act must be calculated based on the State's full title II allotment, and cannot be transferred to the SRF.
(3) Funds reserved under sections 201(l)(2), 205(h), and 205(i) of the Act must also be calculated based upon the State's full title II allotment. However, these reserves may be transferred into an SRF.
(4) The State must reserve from each fiscal year's title VI allotment the greater of one percent of its allotment or $100,000 to carry out planning under sections 205(j) and 303(e) of the Act.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0118)
Funds in the SRF shall not be used to provide grants. SRF balances must be available in perpetuity and must be used solely to provide loans and other authorized forms of financial assistance:
(a) To municipalities, inter-municipal, interstate, or State agencies for the construction of publicly owned wastewater treatment works as these are defined in section 212 of the Act and that appear on the State's priority list developed pursuant to section 216 of the Act; and
(b) For implementation of a nonpoint source pollution control management program under section 319 of the Act; and
(c) For development and implementation of an estuary conservation and management plan under section 320 of the Act.
The SRF may provide seven general types of financial assistance.
(a) Loans. The SRF may award loans at or below market interest rates, or for zero interest.
(1) Loans may be awarded only if:
(i) All principal and interest payments on loans are credited directly to the SRF;
(ii) The annual repayment of principal and payment of interest begins not later than one year after project completion;
(iii) The loan is fully amortized not later than twenty years after project completion; and
(iv) Each loan recipient establishes one or more dedicated sources of revenue for repayment of the loan.
(2) Where construction of a treatment works has been phased or segmented, loan repayment requirements apply to the completion of individual phases or segments.
(b) Refinancing existing debt obligations. The SRF may buy or refinance local debt obligations at or below market rates, where the initial debt was incurred after March 7, 1985, and building began after that date.
(1) Projects otherwise eligible for refinancing under this section on which building began:
(i) Before January 28, 1988 (the effective date of the Initial Guidance for State Revolving Funds) must meet the requirements of title VI to be fully eligible.
(ii) After January 28, 1988, but before the effective date of this rule, must meet the requirements of title VI and of the Initial Guidance for State Revolving Funds to be fully eligible.
(iii) After March 19, 1990 must meet the requirements of this rule to be fully eligible.
(2) Where the original debt for a project was in the form of a multi-purpose bond incurred for purposes in addition to wastewater treatment facility construction, an SRF may provide refinancing only for eligible purposes, and not for the entire debt.
(c) Guarantee or purchase insurance for local debt obligations. The SRF may guarantee local debt obligations where such action would improve credit market access or reduce interest rates. The SRF may also purchase or provide bond insurance to guarantee debt service payment.
(d) Guarantee SRF debt obligations. The SRF may be used as security or as a source of revenue for the payment of principal and interest on revenue or general obligation bonds issued by the State provided that the net proceeds of the sale of such bonds are deposited in the SRF.
(e) Loan guarantees for “sub-State revolving funds.” The SRF may provide loan guarantees for similar revolving funds established by municipal or intermunicipal agencies, to finance activities eligible under title VI.
(f) Earn interest on fund accounts. The SRF may earn interest on Fund accounts.
(g) SRF administrative expenses.(1) Money in the SRF may be used for the reasonable costs of administering the SRF, provided that the amount does not exceed 4 percent of all grant awards received by the SRF. Expenses of the SRF in excess of the amount permitted under this section must be paid for from sources outside the SRF.
(2) Allowable administrative costs include all reasonable costs incurred for management of the SRF program and for management of projects receiving financial assistance from the SRF. Reasonable costs unique to the SRF, such as costs of servicing loans and issuing debt, SRF program start-up costs, financial management, and legal consulting fees, and reimbursement costs for support services from other State agencies are also allowable.
(3) Unallowable administrative costs include the costs of administering the construction grant program under section 205(g), permit programs under sections 402 and 404 and Statewide wastewater management planning programs under section 208(b)(4).
(4) Expenses incurred issuing bonds guaranteed by the SRF, including the costs of insuring the issue, may be absorbed by the proceeds of the bonds, and need not be charged against the 4 percent administrative costs ceiling. The net proceeds of those issues must be deposited in the Fund.
(a) Prevention of double benefit. If the SRF makes a loan in part to finance the cost of facility planning and preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates for the building of treatment works and the recipient subsequently receives a grant under section 201(g) for the building of treatment works and an allowance under section 201(1)(1), the SRF shall ensure that the recipient will promptly repay the loan to the extent of the allowance.
(b) Assistance for the non-Federal share.(1) The SRF shall not provide a loan for the non-Federal share of the cost of a treatment works project for which the recipient is receiving assistance from the EPA under any other authority.
(2) The SRF may provide authorized financial assistance other than a loan for the non-Federal share of a treatment works project receiving EPA assistance if the Governor or the Governor's designee determines that such assistance is necessary to allow the project to proceed.
(3) The SRF may provide loans for subsequent phases, segments, or stages of wastewater treatment works that previously received grant assistance for earlier phases, segments, or stages of the same treatment works.
(4) A community that receives a title II construction grant after the community has begun building with its own financing, may receive SRF assistance to refinance the pre-grant work, in accordance with the requirements for refinancing set forth under §35.3120(b) of this part.
(c) Publicly owned portions. The SRF may provide assistance for only the publicly owned portion of the treatment works.
(d) Private operation. Contractual arrangements for the private operation of a publicly owned treatment works will not affect the eligibility of the treatment works for SRF financing.
(e) Water quality management planning. The SRF may provide assistance only to projects that are consistent with any plans developed under sections 205(j), 208, 303(e), 319 and 320 of the Act.
(a) Contents. The capitalization grant agreement must contain or incorporate by reference the State's application, Intended Use Plan, agreed upon payment schedule, State environmental review process and certifications or demonstrations of other agreement requirements and, where used, the SRF Operating Agreement.
(b) Operating agreement. At the option of the State, the organizational and administrative framework and those procedures of the SRF program that are not expected to change annually may be described in an Operating Agreement (OA). The OA must be incorporated by reference in the grant agreement.
(c) Application requirements. The State must certify in its application that it has the legal, managerial, technical, and operational capabilities to administer the program.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0118)
(a) Agreement to accept payments. The State must agree to accept grant payments in accordance with the negotiated payment schedule.
(b) Provide a State match. The State must agree to deposit into its SRF an amount equaling at least 20 percent of the amount of each grant payment.
(1) The State match must be deposited on or before the date on which the State receives each payment from the grant award. The State may maintain its match in an LOC or other financial arrangement similar to the Federal LOC, provided that the State's proportional share is converted to cash when the Federal LOC is drawn upon.
(2) Bonds issued by the State for the match may be retired from the interest earned by the SRF (including interest on SRF loans) if the net proceeds from the State issued bonds are deposited in the fund. Loan principal must be repaid to the SRF and cannot be used to retire State issued bonds.
(3) The State must identify the source of the matching amount in the capitalization grant application and must establish to the RA's satisfaction that the source is not Federal money, unless specifically authorized to be used for such purposes under the statute making the funds available.
(4) If the State provides a match in excess of the required amount, the excess balance may be banked toward subsequent match requirements.
(5) If the State has deposited State monies in a dedicated revolving fund after March 7, 1985 and prior to receiving a capitalization grant, the State may credit these monies toward the match requirement:
(i) If the monies were deposited in an SRF that subsequently received a capitalization grant and, if the deposit was expended, it was expended in accordance with title VI;
(ii) If the monies were deposited in a separate fund that has not received a capitalization grant, they were expended in accordance with title VI and an amount equal to all repayments of principal and payments of interest from these loans will be deposited in the Federally capitalized fund; or
(iii) If the monies were deposited in a separate fund and used as a reserve consistent with title VI, and an amount equal to the reserve is transferred to the Federally capitalized fund as its function is satisfied.
(c) Binding commitments. The State must make binding commitments in an amount equal to 120 percent of each quarterly grant payment within one year after the receipt of each quarterly grant payment.
(1) Binding commitments may be for any of the types of assistance provided for in sections 40 CFR 35.3120(a), (b), (c), (e) or (f) and for Fund administration under 40 CFR 35.3120(g).
(2) If the State commits more than the required 120 percent, EPA will recognize the cumulative value of the binding commitments, and the excess balance may be banked towards the binding commitment requirements of subsequent quarters.
(3) If the State does not make binding commitments equaling 120 percent of the quarterly grant payment within one year after it receives the payment, the RA may withhold future quarterly grant payments, and require adjustments to the payment schedule before releasing further payments.
(d) Expeditious and timely expenditure. The State must agree to expend all funds in the SRF in an expenditious and timely manner.
(e) First use of funds.(1) The State must agree to first use funds in the SRF equaling the amount of the grant, all repayments of principal and payments of interest on the initial loans from the grant, and the State match to address any major and minor publicly owned treatment works (POTW) that the Region and the State have previously identified as part of the National Municipal Policy list for the State.
(2) These funds may be used to fund the cost-effective reserve capacity of these projects.
(3) In order for a State to use these funds for other section 212 POTWs or for nonpoint source (section 319) or estuary (section 320) activities, the State must certify that the POTWs identified in §35.3135(e)(1) are either:
(i) In compliance; or
(ii) On an enforceable schedule; or
(iii) Have an enforcement action filed; or
(iv) Have a funding commitment during or prior to the first year covered by the Intended Use Plan.
(4) Other funds in the SRF may be used at any time for the construction of any treatment works on the State's priority list or for activities under sections 319 and 320 of the Act.
(f) Compliance with title II requirements.(1) The State must agree that equivalency projects will comply with sections 201(b), 201(g)(1), 201(g)(2), 201(g)(3), 201(g)(5), 201(g)(6), 201(n)(1), 201(o), 204(a)(1), 204(a)(2), 204(b)(1), 204(d)(2), 211, 218, 511(c)(1), and 513 of the Act.
(2) The State must comply only with the statutory requirements. The State may develop its own procedures for implementing the statutory provisions. The RA will accept State procedures provided that the procedures will adequately assure compliance with the statutory requirements, considered in the context of the SRF program.
(3) Where the State funds equivalency projects for more than the capitalization grant amount, EPA will recognize the cumulative value of the eligible costs of the equivalency projects, and the excess balance may be banked toward subsequent year equivalency requirements.
(4) Only those eligible costs actually funded with loans or other authorized assistance from the SRF may be credited toward satisfaction of the equivalency requirement, and only in the amount of that assistance.
(g) State laws and procedures. The State must agree to commit or expend each quarterly capitalization grant payment in accordance with the State's own laws and procedures regarding the commitment or expenditure of revenues.
(h) State accounting and auditing procedures.(1) The State must agree to establish fiscal controls and accounting procedures that are sufficient to assure proper accounting for payments received by the SRF, disbursements made by the SRF, and SRF balances at the beginning and end of the accounting period.
(2) The State must also agree to use accounting, audit, and fiscal procedures conforming to generally accepted government accounting standards as these are promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Generally accepted government auditing standards are usually defined as, but not limited to, those contained in the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) publication “Government Auditing Standards” (1988 revision).
(i) Recipient accounting and auditing procedures. The State must agree to require recipients of SRF assistance to maintain project accounts in accordance with generally accepted government accounting standards as these are promulgated by the Government Accounting Standards Board. These accounts must be maintained as separate accounts.
(j) Annual report. The State must agree to make an Annual Report to the RA on the actual use of the funds, in accordance with section 606(d) of the Act.
(a) Generally. The State must agree to conduct reviews of the potential environmental impacts of all section 212 construction projects receiving assistance from the SRF, including nonpoint source pollution control (section 319) and estuary protection (section 320) projects that are also section 212 projects.
(b) NEPA-like State environmental review process. Equivalency projects must undergo a State environmental review process (SERP) that conforms generally to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The State may elect to apply the procedures at 40 CFR part 6, subpart I and related subparts, or apply its own “NEPA-like” SERP for conducting environmental reviews, provided that the following elements are met.
(1) Legal foundation. The State must have the legal authority to conduct environmental reviews of section 212 construction projects receiving SRF assistance. Such authority and supporting documentation must specify:
(i) The mechanisms to implement mitigation measures to ensure that a project is environmentally sound;
(ii) The legal remedies available to the public to challenge environmental review determinations and enforcement actions;
(iii) The State agency primarily responsible for conducting environmental reviews;
(iv) The extent to which environmental review responsibilities will be delegated to local recipients and will be subject to oversight by the primary State agency.
(2) Interdisciplinary approach. The State must employ an interdisciplinary approach for identifying and mitigating adverse environmental effects including, but not limited to, those associated with other applicable Federal environmental authorities.
(3) Decision documentation. The State must fully document the information, processes and premises that influence decisions to:
(i) Proceed with a project contained in a finding of no significant impact (FNSI) following documentation in an environmental assessment (EA);
(ii) Proceed or not proceed with a project contained in a record of decision (ROD) following preparation of a full environmental impact statement (EIS);
(iii) Reaffirm or modify a decision contained in a previously issued categorical exclusion (CE), EA/FNSI or EIS/ROD following a mandatory 5 year environmental reevaluation of a proposed project; and
(iv) If a State elects to implement processes for either partitioning an environmental review or CE from environmental review, the State must similarly document these processes in its proposed SERP.
(4) Public notice and participation.(i) The State must provide public notice when a CE is issued or rescinded, a FNSI is issued but before it becomes effective, a decision issued 5 years earlier is reaffirmed or revised, and prior to initiating an EIS.
(ii) Except with respect to a public notice of a categorical exclusion or reaffirmation of a previous decision, a formal public comment period must be provided during which no action on a project will be allowed.
(iii) A public hearing or meeting must be held for all projects except for those having little or no environmental effect.
(5) Alternatives Consideration. The State must have evaluation criteria and processes which allow for:
(i) Comparative evaluation among alternatives including the beneficial and adverse consequences on the existing environment, the future environment and individual sensitive environmental issues that are identified by project management or through public participation; and
(ii) Devising appropriate near-term and long-range measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate adverse impacts.
(c) Alternative State environmental review process. The State may elect to apply an alternative SERP to non-equivalency section 212 construction projects assisted by the SRF, provided that such process:
(1) Is supported by a legal foundation which establishes the State's authority to review section 212 construction projects;
(2) Responds to other environmental objectives of the State;
(3) Provides for comparative evaluations among alternatives and account for beneficial and adverse consequences to the existing and future environment;
(4) Adequately documents the information, processes and premises that influence an environmental determination; and
(5) Provides for notice to the public of proposed projects and for the opportunity to comment on alternatives and to examine environmental review documents. For projects determined by the State to be controversial, a public hearing must be held.
(d) EPA approval process. The RA must review and approve any State “NEPA-like” and alternative procedures to ensure that the requirements for both have been met. The RA will conduct these reviews on the basis of the criteria for evaluating NEPA-like reviews contained in appendix A to this part.
(e) Modifications to approved SERPs. Significant changes to State environmental review procedures must be approved by the RA.
[55 FR 10178, Mar. 19, 1990, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Generally. The State must agree to comply and to require all recipients of funds “directly made available by” capitalization grants to comply with applicable Federal authorities.
(b) Informing EPA. The State must inform EPA when consultation or coordination by EPA with other Federal agencies is necessary to resolve issues regarding compliance with those requirements.
(c) Civil Rights laws. All programs, projects and activities of the State capitalization grant recipient must be in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq., section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 794 and section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, Public Law 92-500.
[55 FR 10178, Mar. 19, 1990, as amended at 73 FR 15922, Mar. 26, 2008]
(a) Purpose. The State must prepare a plan identifying the intended uses of the funds in the SRF and describing how those uses support the goals of the SRF. This Intended Use Plan (IUP) must be prepared annually and must be subjected to public comment and review before being submitted to EPA. EPA must receive the IUP prior to the award of the capitalization grant.
(b) Contents- (1) List of projects.(i) The IUP must contain a list of publicly owned treatment works projects on the State's project priority list developed pursuant to section 216 of the Act, to be constructed with SRF assistance. This list must include: the name of the community; permit number or other applicable enforceable requirement, if available; the type of financial assistance; and the projected amount of eligible assistance.
(ii) The IUP must also contain a list of the nonpoint source and national estuary protection activities under sections 319 and 320 of the Act that the State expects to fund from its SRF.
(iii) The IUP must provide information in a format and manner that is consistent with the needs of the Regional Offices.
(2) Short and long term goals. The IUP must describe the long and short term goals and objectives of the State's water pollution control revolving fund.
(3) Information on the SRF activities to be supported. The IUP must include information on the types of activities including eligible categories of costs to receive assistance, types of assistance to be provided, and SRF policies on setting the terms for the various types of assistance provided by the fund.
(4) Assurances and specific proposals. The IUP must provide assurances and specific proposals on the manner by which the State intends to meet the requirements of the following sections of this part: §§35.3135(c); 35.3135(d); 35.3135(e); 35.3135(f); and 35.3140.
(5) Criteria and method for distribution of funds.
(i) The IUP must describe the criteria and method established for the distribution of the SRF funds and the distribution of the funds available to the SRF among the various types of assistance the State will offer.
(ii) The IUP must describe the criteria and method the State will use to select section 212 treatment work project priority list and projects or programs to be funded as eligible activities for nonpoint sources and estuary protection management programs.
(c) Amending the IUP. The IUP project list may be changed during the year under provisions established in the IUP as long as the projects have been previously identified through the public participation process.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0118)
(a) Payment schedule. The State must include with each application for a capitalization grant a draft payment schedule based on the State's projection of binding commitments in its IUP. The payment schedule and the specific criteria establishing the conditions under which the State may draw cash from its LOC shall be jointly established by the Agency and the State and included in the capitalization grant agreement. Changes to the payment schedule, which may be negotiated during the year, will be effected through an amendment to the grant agreement.
(b) Estimated disbursements. With the first application for a capitalization grant, the State shall submit a schedule that reflects, by quarters, the estimated disbursements from that grant for the year following the grant award date. At the end of the third quarter of each Federal fiscal year thereafter, the State must provide the Agency with a schedule of estimated disbursements for the following Federal fiscal year. The State must advise the Agency when significant changes from the schedule of estimated disbursements are anticipated. This schedule must be developed in conformity with the procedures applicable to cash draws in §35.3160 and must be at a level of detail sufficient to allow the Agency and the State to jointly develop and maintain a forecast of cash draws.
(c) Timing of payments. Payments to the LOC from a particular grant will begin in the quarter in which the grant is awarded and will end no later than the earlier of eight quarters after the capitalization grant is awarded or twelve quarters after advices of allowances are issued to the Regions.
(d) General payment and cash draw rules.(1) Except as described in §§35.3160(e) and 35.3160(g), payments will be based on the State's schedule of binding commitments.
(2) The SRF or assistance recipient must first incur a cost, but not necessarily disburse funds for that cost, on an activity for which the State has entered into a binding commitment, in order to draw cash.
(3) Cash draws will be available only up to the amount of payments made.
(4) For loans or for refinancing or purchasing of municipal debt, planning, design and associated pre-building costs that are within the scope of a project built after March 7, 1985, may be included in the assistance agreement regardless of when they were incurred, provided these costs are in conformity with title VI of the Act. The State may draw cash for these incurred pre-building costs immediately upon executing an assistance agreement.
(5) A State may draw cash from the LOC equal to the proportional Federal share at which time the State will provide its proportional share. The Federal proportional share will be 83 1/3 percent of incurred costs and the State's proportional share will be 16 2/3 percent of the incurred costs, except as described below.
(i) Where the State provides funds in excess of the required 20 percent match, the proportional Federal share drawn from the LOC will be the ratio of Federal funds in the capitalization grant to the sum of the capitalization grant and the State funds. Alternatively, the State may identify a group of activities approximately equal to 120 percent of the grant amount, and draw cash from the LOC for 83 1/3 percent of the incurred costs of the identified activities.
(ii) The Federal proportional share may exceed 83 1/3 percent where a State is given credit for its match amount as a result of funding activities in prior years (but after March 7, 1985), or for banking excess match in the SRF in prior years and disbursing these amounts prior to drawing cash. If the entire amount of the State's required match has been disbursed in advance, the Federal proportional share would be 100 percent.
(a) Loans. The State may draw cash from the LOC when the SRF receives a request from a loan recipient, based on incurred costs, including prebuilding and building costs.
(b) Refinance or purchase of municipal debt.(1) Cash draw for completed construction. Except as indicated in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, cash draws shall be made at a rate no greater than equal amounts over the maximum number of quarters that payments can be made, pursuant to §35.3155(c), and up to the portion of the LOC committed to the refinancing or purchase of the local debt. Cash draws for incurred building costs will generally be treated as refinanced costs.
(2) The State may immediately draw cash for up to five percent of each fiscal year's capitalization grant or two million dollars, whichever is greater, to refinance or purchase local debt.
(3) Projects or portions of projects not constructed. The State may draw cash based on incurred construction costs, as set forth in §35.3160(a).
(4) Incremental disbursement bonds. For the purchase of incremental disbursement bonds from local governments, cash draws will be based on a schedule that coincides with the rate at which construction related costs are expected to be incurred for the project.
(c) Purchase of insurance. The State may draw cash to purchase insurance as premiums are due.
(d) Guarantees and security for bonds.(1) Cash draw in the event of default. In the event of an imminent default in debt service payments on the guaranteed/secured debt, the State can draw cash immediately up to the total amount of the LOC committed to the guarantee/security. If a balance remains in the guarantee portion of the LOC reserve after the default is covered, the State must negotiate a revised schedule for the remaining amount of the guarantee/security.
(2) Cash draw in the absence of default.(i) The State can draw cash up to the amount of the LOC dedicated for the guarantee or security in accordance with a schedule based on the national title II annual outlay rate (Yr 1: 7%; Yr 2: 35%; Yr 3: 26%; Yr 4: 20%; Yr 5: 12%), or actual construction cost. In the latter case, the amount of the cash draw would be the actual construction costs multiplied by the Federal share of the reserve multiplied by the ratio of the reserve to either the amount guaranteed or the proceeds of the bond issue.
(ii) In addition, in the case of a security the State can identify a group of projects whose value equals approximately the total of that portion of the LOC and the State match dedicated as a security. The State can then draw cash based on the incurred construction costs of the selected projects only, multiplied by the ratio of the Federal portion of the security to the entire security.
(3) Aggressive leveraging exception. Where the cash draw rules discussed in §35.3160(d) would significantly frustrate a State's program, the Agency may permit an exception to these cash draw rules and provide for a more accelerated cash draw, where the State can demonstrate that:
(i) There are eligible projects ready to proceed in the immediate future with enough costs to justify the amount of the secured bond issue;
(ii) The absence of cash on an accelerated basis will substantially delay these projects;
(iii) If accelerated cash draws are allowed, the SRF will provide substantially more assistance; and
(iv) The long term viability of the State program to meet water quality needs will be protected.
(4) Cash draw limitation. When the LOC is used for securing State issued bonds, cash draws cannot be made at a rate greater than equal amounts over the maximum number of quarters that payments can be made, pursuant to §35.3155(c). Exceptions to this limitation are in cases of default (see §35.3160(d)(1)) and where cash draws are based on construction costs for all projects, as in §35.3160(d)(2)(i).
(e) Administrative expenses- (1) Payments. One payment will be made at the time of the grant, based on the portion of the LOC estimated to be used for administrative expenses.
(2) Cash draw. The State can draw cash based on a schedule that coincides with the rate at which administrative expenses will be incurred, up to that portion of the LOC dedicated to administrative expenses.
(f) Withholding payments. If a State fails to take corrective action in accordance with section 605 of the Act, the Agency shall withhold payments to the SRF. Once a payment has been made by the Agency, that payment and cash draws from that payment will not be subject to withholding because of a State's failure to take corrective action.
(a) Annual report. The State must provide an Annual Report to the RA beginning the first fiscal year after it receives payments under title VI. The State should submit this report to the RA according to the schedule established in the grant agreement.
(b) Matters to establish in the annual report. In addition to the requirements in section 606(d) of the Act, in its annual report the State must establish that it has:
(1) Reviewed all SRF funded section 212 projects in accordance with the approved environmental review procedures;
(2) Deposited its match on or before the date on which each quarterly grant payment was made;
(3) Assured compliance with the requirements of §35.3135(f);
(4) Made binding commitments to provide assistance equal to 120 percent of the amount of each grant payment within one year after receiving the grant payment pursuant to §35.3135(c);
(5) Expended all funds in an expeditious and timely manner pursuant to §35.3135(d); and
(6) First used all funds as a result of capitalization grants to assure maintenance of progress toward compliance with the enforceable requirements of the Act pursuant to §35.3135(e).
(c) Annual review- (1) Purpose. The purpose of the annual review is to assess the success of the State's performance of activities identified in the IUP and Annual Report, and to determine compliance with the terms of the capitalization grant agreement. The RA will complete the annual review according to the schedule established in the grant agreement.
(2) Records access. After reasonable notice by the RA, the State or assistance recipient must make available to the EPA such records as the RA reasonably requires to review and determine State compliance with the requirements of title VI. The RA may conduct onsite visits as needed to provide adequate programmatic review.
(d) Annual audit.(1) At least once a year the RA (through the Office of the Inspector General) will conduct, or require the State to have independently conducted, a financial and compliance audit of the SRF and the operations of the SRF. If the State is required to have an independently conducted audit performed, the State may designate an independent auditor of the State to carry out the audit or may contractually procure the service.
(2) The auditor can be a certified public accountant, a public accountant licensed on or before December 31, 1970, or a governmental auditor who meets the qualification standards (Government Auditing Standards). In addition, the auditor must meet the independence standard as enumerated by the General Accounting Office and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The Office of the Inspector General may arrange for an EPA audit if the State fails to conduct the audit or if the State's review is otherwise unsatisfactory.
(3) The audit report required under section 606(b) must contain an opinion on the financial statements of the SRF and its internal controls, and a report on compliance with title VI.
(4) The audit report must be completed within one year of the end of the appropriate accounting period and submitted to the Office of the Inspector General within 30 days of completion. In cases of State conducted audits, the State will be notified within 90 days as to the acceptability of the audit report and its findings. Audits may be done in conjunction with the Single Audit Act.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0118)
(a) Causes. If the RA determines that the State has not complied with requirements under title VI, the RA will notify the State of such noncompliance and prescribe the necessary corrective action. Failure to satisfy the terms of the capitalization grant agreement, including unmet conditions or assurances or invalid certifications, is grounds for a finding of noncompliance. In addition, if the State does not manage the SRF in a financially sound manner (e.g. allows consistent and substantial failures of loan repayments), the RA may take corrective action as provided under this section.
(b) RA's course of action. In making a determination of noncompliance with the capitalization grant agreement and devising the corrective action, the RA will identify the nature and cause of the problems. The State's corrective action must remedy the specific instance of noncompliance and adjust program management to avoid noncompliance in the future.
(c) Consequences for failure to take corrective action. If within 60 days of receipt of the noncompliance notice, a State fails to take the necessary actions to obtain the results required by the RA, or to provide an acceptable plan to achieve the results required, the RA shall withhold payments to the SRF until the State has taken acceptable actions. If the State fails to take the necessary corrective action deemed adequate by the RA within twelve months of receipt of the original notice, any withheld payments shall be deobligated and reallotted to other States.
(d) Releasing payments. Once the State has taken the corrective action deemed necessary and adequate by the RA, the withheld payments will be released and scheduled payments will recommence.
The following criteria will be used by the RA to evaluate a proposed SERP.
(A) Legal foundation. Adequate documentation of the legal authority, including legislation, regulations or executive orders and/or Attorney General certification that authority exists.
(B) Interdisciplinary approach. The availability of expertise either in-house or otherwise accessible to the State Agency.
(C) Decision documentation. A description of a documentation process adequate to explain the basis for decisions to the public.
(D) Public notice and participation. A description of the process, including routes of publication (e.g., local newspapers and project mailing list), and use of established State legal notification systems for notices of intent, and criteria for determining whether a public hearing is required. The adequacy of a rationale where the comment period differs from that under NEPA and is inconsistent with other State review periods.
(E) Consider alternatives. The extent to which the SERP will adequately consider:
(1) Designation of a study area comparable to the final system;
(2) A range of feasible alternatives, including the no action alternative;
(3) Direct and indirect impacts;
(4) Present and future conditions;
(5) Land use and other social parameters including recreation and open-space considerations;
(6) Consistency with population projections used to develop State implementation plans under the Clean Air Act;
(7) Cumulative impacts including anticipated community growth (residential, commercial, institutional and industrial) within the project study area; and
(8) Other anticipated public works projects including coordination with such projects.
Authority: Section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 300j-12.
(a) This subpart codifies and implements requirements for the national Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended in 1996. It applies to States (i.e., each of the 50 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) which receive capitalization grants and are authorized to establish a Fund under section 1452. The purpose of this subpart is to ensure that each State's program is designed and operated in such a manner as to further the public health protection objectives of the Safe Drinking Water Act, promote the efficient use of all funds, and ensure that the Fund corpus is available in perpetuity for providing financial assistance to public water systems.
(b) This subpart supplements section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act by codifying statutory and program requirements that were published in the Final Guidelines for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program (EPA 816-R-97-005) signed by the Assistant Administrator for Water on February 28, 1997, as well as in subsequent policies. This subpart also supplements EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500 which contain administrative requirements that apply to governmental recipients of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants and subgrants. EPA will not impose additional major program requirements without providing an opportunity for affected parties to comment.
(c) EPA intends to implement the national Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program in a manner that preserves for States a high degree of flexibility to operate their programs in accordance with each State's unique needs and circumstances. To the maximum extent practicable, EPA also intends to administer the financial aspects of the national Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program in a manner that is consistent with the policies and procedures of the national Clean Water State Revolving Fund program established under Title VI of the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1381-1387.
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
The following definitions apply to terms used in this subpart:
Act. The Safe Drinking Water Act (Public Law 93-523), as amended in 1996 (Public Law 104-182). 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.
Administrator. The Administrator of the EPA or an authorized representative.
Allotment. Amount available to a State from funds appropriated by Congress to carry out section 1452 of the Act.
Automated Clearing House (ACH). A Federal payment mechanism that transfers cash to recipients of Federal assistance using electronic transfers from the Treasury through the Federal Reserve System.
Binding commitment. A legal obligation by the State to an assistance recipient that defines the terms for assistance from the Fund.
Capitalization grant. An award by EPA of funds to a State for purposes of capitalizing that State's Fund and for other purposes authorized in section 1452 of the Act.
Cash draw. The transfer of cash from the Treasury through the ACH to the DWSRF program. Upon a State's request for a cash draw, the Treasury will transfer funds to the DWSRF program account established in the State's bank.
CWSRF program. Each State's clean water state revolving fund program authorized under Title VI of the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1381-1387.
Disadvantaged community. The entire service area of a public water system that meets affordability criteria established by the State after public review and comment.
Disbursement. The transfer of cash from the DWSRF program account established in the State's bank to an assistance recipient.
DWSRF program. Each State's drinking water state revolving fund program authorized under section 1452 of the Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 300j-12. This term includes the Fund and set-asides.
Fund. A revolving account into which a State deposits DWSRF program funds (e.g., capitalization grants, State match, repayments, net bond proceeds, interest earnings, etc.) for the purposes of providing loans and other types of assistance for drinking water infrastructure projects.
Intended Use Plan (IUP). A document prepared annually by a State, after public review and comment, which identifies intended uses of all DWSRF program funds and describes how those uses support the overall goals of the DWSRF program.
Net bond proceeds. The funds raised from the sale of the bonds minus issuance costs (e.g., the underwriting discount, underwriter's legal counsel fees, bond counsel fee, and other costs incidental to the bond issuance).
Payment. An action taken by EPA to increase the amount of funds available for cash draw through the ACH. A payment is not a transfer of cash to the State, but an authorization by EPA to make capitalization grant funds available for transfer to a State after the State submits a cash draw request.
Public water system. A system as defined in 40 CFR 141.2. A public water system is either a “community water system” or a “noncommunity water system” as defined in 40 CFR 141.2.
Regional Administrator (RA). The Administrator of the appropriate Regional Office of the EPA or an authorized representative of the Regional Administrator.
Set-asides. State and local activities identified in sections 1452(g)(2) and (k) of the Act for which a portion of a capitalization grant may be used.
Small system. A public water system that regularly serves 10,000 or fewer persons.
State. Each of the 50 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which receive capitalization grants and are authorized to establish a Fund under section 1452 of the Act.
(a) General. To be eligible to receive a capitalization grant, a State must establish a Fund and comply with the other requirements of section 1452 of the Act and this subpart.
(b) Administration. Capitalization grants must be awarded to an agency of the State that is authorized to enter into capitalization grant agreements with EPA, accept capitalization grant awards made under section 1452 of the Act, and otherwise manage the Fund in accordance with the requirements and objectives of the Act and this subpart. The State agency that is awarded the capitalization grant (i.e., grantee) is accountable for the use of the funds provided in the capitalization grant agreement under 2 CFR part 200 and the EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR part 1500.
(1) The authority to establish assistance priorities and to carry out oversight and related activities of the DWSRF program, other than financial administration of the Fund, must reside with the State agency having primary responsibility for administration of the State's public water system supervision (PWSS) program (i.e., primacy) after consultation with other appropriate State agencies.
(2) If a State is eligible to receive a capitalization grant but does not have primacy, the Governor will determine which State agency will have the authority to establish priorities for financial assistance from the Fund. Evidence of the Governor's determination must be included with the capitalization grant application.
(3) If more than one State agency participates in implementation of the DWSRF program, the roles and responsibilities of each agency must be described in a Memorandum of Understanding or interagency agreement.
(c) Combined financial administration. A State may combine the financial administration of the Fund with the financial administration of any other revolving fund established by the State if otherwise not prohibited by State law under which the Fund was established. A State must assure that all monies in the Fund, including capitalization grants, State match, net bond proceeds, loan repayments, and interest are separately accounted for and used solely for the purposes specified in section 1452 of the Act and this subpart. Funds available from the administration and technical assistance set-aside may not be used for combined financial administration of any other revolving fund.
(d) Use of funds.(1) Assistance provided to a public water system from the DWSRF program may be used only for expenditures that will facilitate compliance with national primary drinking water regulations applicable under section 1412 or otherwise significantly further the public health protection objectives of the Act.
(2) The inability or failure of any public water system to receive assistance from the DWSRF program, or any delay in obtaining assistance, does not alter the obligation of the system to comply in a timely manner with all applicable drinking water standards and requirements of section 1452 of the Act.
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Allotment- (1) General. Each State will receive a minimum of one percent of the funds available for allotment to all of the States.
(2) Allotment formula. Funds available to States from fiscal year 1998 appropriations and subsequent appropriations are allotted according to a formula that reflects the infrastructure needs of public water systems identified in the most recent Needs Survey submitted in accordance with section 1452(h) of the Act.
(3) Period of availability. Funds are available for obligation to States during the fiscal year in which they are authorized and during the following fiscal year. The amount of any allotment not obligated to a State by EPA at the end of this period of availability will be reallotted to eligible States based on the formula originally used to allot these funds, except that the Administrator may reserve up to 10 percent of any funds available for reallotment to provide additional assistance to Indian Tribes. In order to be eligible to receive reallotted funds, a State must have been obligated all funds it is eligible to receive from EPA during the period of availability.
(4) Loss of primacy. The following provisions do not apply to any State that did not have primacy as of August 6, 1996:
(i) A State may not receive a capitalization grant from allotments that have been made if the State had primacy and subsequently loses primacy.
(ii) For a State that loses primacy, the Administrator may reserve funds from the State's allotment for use by EPA to administer primacy in that State. The balance of the funds not used by EPA to administer primacy will be reallotted to the other States.
(iii) A State will be eligible for future allotments from funds appropriated in the next fiscal year after primacy is restored.
(b) Withholdings- (1) General. EPA will withhold funds under each of the following provisions:
(i) Capacity development authority. EPA will withhold 20 percent of a State's allotment from any State that has not obtained the legal authority or other means to ensure that all new community water systems and new nontransient, noncommunity water systems commencing operations after October 1, 1999, demonstrate technical, financial, and managerial capacity with respect to each national primary drinking water regulation in effect, or likely to be in effect, on the date of commencement of operations. The determination of withholding will be based on an assessment of the status of the State program as of October 1 of the fiscal year for which the funds were allotted.
(ii) Capacity development strategy. EPA will withhold funds from any State unless the State is developing and implementing a strategy to assist public water systems in acquiring and maintaining technical, financial, and managerial capacity. The amount of a State's allotment that will be withheld is 10 percent for fiscal year 2001, 15 percent for fiscal year 2002, and 20 percent for each subsequent fiscal year. The determination of withholding will be based on an assessment of the status of the State strategy as of October 1 of the fiscal year for which the funds were allotted. Decisions of a State regarding any particular public water system as part of a capacity development strategy are not subject to review by EPA and may not serve as a basis for withholding funds.
(iii) Operator certification program. Beginning on February 5, 2001, EPA will withhold 20 percent of a State's allotment unless the State has adopted and is implementing a program for certifying operators of community and nontransient, noncommunity public water systems that meets the requirements of section 1419 of the Act. The determination of withholding will be based on an assessment of the status of the State program for each fiscal year.
(2) Maximum withholdings. The maximum amount of funds that will be withheld if a State fails to meet the requirements of both the capacity development authority and the capacity development strategy provisions is 20 percent of the allotment in any fiscal year. The maximum amount of funds that will be withheld if a State fails to meet the requirements of the operator certification program provision and either the capacity development authority provision or the capacity development strategy provision is 40 percent of the allotment in any fiscal year.
(3) Reallotment of withheld funds. The Administrator will reallot withheld funds to eligible States based on the formula originally used to allot these funds. In order to be eligible to receive reallotted funds under the withholding provisions, a State must have been obligated all funds it is eligible to receive from EPA during the period of availability. A State that has funds withheld under any one of the withholding provisions in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(iii) of this section is not eligible to receive reallotted funds made available by that provision.
(4) Termination of withholdings. A withholding will cease to apply to funds appropriated in the next fiscal year after a State complies with the specific provision under which funds were withheld.
(a) Eligible systems. Assistance from the Fund may only be provided to:
(1) Privately-owned and publicly-owned community water systems and non-profit noncommunity water systems.
(2) Projects that will result in the creation of a community water system in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(vi) of this section.
(3) Systems referred to in section 1401(4)(B) of the Act for the purposes of point of entry or central treatment under section 1401(4)(B)(i)(III).
(b) Eligible projects- (1) General. Projects that address present or prevent future violations of health-based drinking water standards are eligible for assistance. These include projects needed to maintain compliance with existing national primary drinking water regulations for contaminants with acute and chronic health effects. Projects to replace aging infrastructure are eligible for assistance if they are needed to maintain compliance or further the public health protection objectives of the Act.
(2) Only the following project categories are eligible for assistance from the Fund:
(i) Treatment. Examples of projects include installation or upgrade of facilities to improve the quality of drinking water to comply with primary or secondary standards and point of entry or central treatment under section 1401(4)(B)(i)(III) of the Act.
(ii) Transmission and distribution. Examples of projects include installation or replacement of transmission and distribution pipes to improve water pressure to safe levels or to prevent contamination caused by leaks or breaks in the pipes.
(iii) Source. Examples of projects include rehabilitation of wells or development of eligible sources to replace contaminated sources.
(iv) Storage. Examples of projects include installation or upgrade of eligible storage facilities, including finished water reservoirs, to prevent microbiological contaminants from entering a public water system.
(v) Consolidation. Eligible projects are those needed to consolidate water supplies where, for example, a supply has become contaminated or a system is unable to maintain compliance for technical, financial, or managerial reasons.
(vi) Creation of new systems. Eligible projects are those that, upon completion, will create a community water system to address existing public health problems with serious risks caused by unsafe drinking water provided by individual wells or surface water sources. Eligible projects are also those that create a new regional community water system by consolidating existing systems that have technical, financial, or managerial difficulties. Projects to address existing public health problems associated with individual wells or surface water sources must be limited in scope to the specific geographic area affected by contamination. Projects that create new regional community water systems by consolidating existing systems must be limited in scope to the service area of the systems being consolidated. A project must be a cost-effective solution to addressing the problem. A State must ensure that the applicant has given sufficient public notice to potentially affected parties and has considered alternative solutions to addressing the problem. Capacity to serve future population growth cannot be a substantial portion of a project.
(c) Eligible project-related costs. In addition to costs needed for the project itself, the following project-related costs are eligible for assistance from the Fund:
(1) Costs for planning and design and associated pre-project costs. A State that makes a loan for only planning and design is not required to provide assistance for completion of the project.
(2) Costs for the acquisition of land only if needed for the purposes of locating eligible project components. The land must be acquired from a willing seller.
(3) Costs for restructuring systems that are in significant noncompliance with any national primary drinking water regulation or variance or that lack the technical, financial, and managerial capability to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Act, unless the systems are ineligible under paragraph (d)(2) or (d)(3) of this section.
(d) Ineligible systems. Assistance from the Fund may not be provided to:
(1) Federally-owned public water systems and for-profit noncommunity water systems.
(2) Systems that lack the technical, financial, and managerial capability to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Act, unless the assistance will ensure compliance and the owners or operators of the systems agree to undertake feasible and appropriate changes in operations to ensure compliance over the long-term.
(3) Systems that are in significant noncompliance with any national primary drinking water regulation or variance, unless:
(i) The purpose of the assistance is to address the cause of the significant noncompliance and will ensure that the systems return to compliance; or
(ii) The purpose of the assistance is unrelated to the cause of the significant noncompliance and the systems are on enforcement schedules (for maximum contaminant level and treatment technique violations) or have compliance plans (for monitoring and reporting violations) to return to compliance.
(e) Ineligible projects. The following projects are ineligible for assistance from the Fund:
(1) Dams or rehabilitation of dams.
(2) Water rights, except if the water rights are owned by a system that is being purchased through consolidation as part of a capacity development strategy.
(3) Reservoirs or rehabilitation of reservoirs, except for finished water reservoirs and those reservoirs that are part of the treatment process and are on the property where the treatment facility is located.
(4) Projects needed primarily for fire protection.
(5) Projects needed primarily to serve future population growth. Projects must be sized only to accommodate a reasonable amount of population growth expected to occur over the useful life of the facility.
(6) Projects that have received assistance from the national set-aside for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages under section 1452(i) of the Act.
(f) Ineligible project-related costs. The following project-related costs are ineligible for assistance from the Fund:
(1) Laboratory fees for routine compliance monitoring.
(2) Operation and maintenance expenses.
A State may only provide the following types of assistance from the Fund:
(a) Loans.(1) A State may make loans at or below the market interest rate, including zero interest rate loans. Loans may be awarded only if:
(i) An assistance recipient begins annual repayment of principal and interest no later than one year after project completion. A project is completed when operations are initiated or are capable of being initiated.
(ii) A recipient completes loan repayment no later than 20 years after project completion except as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
(iii) A recipient establishes a dedicated source of revenue for repayment of the loan which is consistent with local ordinances and State laws or, for privately-owned systems, a recipient demonstrates that there is adequate security to assure repayment of the loan.
(2) A State may include eligible project reimbursement costs within loans if:
(i) A system received approval, authorization to proceed, or any similar action by a State prior to initiation of project construction and the construction costs were incurred after such State action; and
(ii) The project met all of the requirements of this subpart and was on the State's fundable list, developed using a priority system approved by EPA. A project on the comprehensive list which is funded when a project on the fundable list is bypassed using the State's bypass procedures in accordance with §35.3555(c)(2)(ii) may be eligible for reimbursement of costs incurred after the system has been informed that it will receive funding.
(3) A State may include eligible planning and design and other associated pre-project costs within loans regardless of when the costs were incurred.
(4) All payments of principal and interest on each loan must be credited to the Fund.
(5) Of the total amount available for assistance from the Fund each year, a State must make at least 15 percent available solely for providing loan assistance to small systems, to the extent such funds can be obligated for eligible projects. A State that provides assistance in an amount that is greater than 15 percent of the available funds in one year may credit the excess toward the 15 percent requirement in future years.
(6) A State may provide incremental assistance for a project (e.g., for a particularly large, expensive project) over a period of years.
(b) Assistance to disadvantaged communities.(1) A State may provide loan subsidies (e.g., loans which include principal forgiveness, negative interest rate loans) to benefit communities meeting the State's definition of “disadvantaged” or which the State expects to become “disadvantaged” as a result of the project. Loan subsidies in the form of reduced interest rate loans that are at or above zero percent do not fall under the 30 percent allowance described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(2) A State may take an amount equal to no more than 30 percent of the amount of a particular fiscal year's capitalization grant to provide loan subsidies to disadvantaged communities. If a State does not take the entire 30 percent allowance associated with a particular fiscal year's capitalization grant, it cannot reserve the authority to take the remaining balance of the allowance from future capitalization grants. In addition, a State must:
(i) Indicate in the Intended Use Plan (IUP) the amount of the allowance it is taking for loan subsidies;
(ii) Commit capitalization grant and required State match dollars taken for loan subsidies in accordance with the binding commitment requirements in §35.3550(e); and
(iii) Commit any other dollars (e.g., principal and interest repayments, investment earnings) taken for loan subsidies to projects over the same time period during which binding commitments are made for the capitalization grant from which the allowance was taken.
(3) A State may extend the term for a loan to a disadvantaged community, provided that a recipient completes loan repayment no later than 30 years after project completion and the term of the loan does not exceed the expected design life of the project.
(c) Refinance or purchase of local debt obligations- (1) General. A State may buy or refinance local debt obligations of municipal, intermunicipal, or interstate agencies where the debt obligation was incurred and the project was initiated after July 1, 1993. Projects must have met the eligibility requirements under section 1452 of the Act and this subpart to be eligible for refinancing. Privately-owned systems are not eligible for refinancing.
(2) Multi-purpose debt. If the original debt for a project was in the form of a multi-purpose bond incurred for purposes in addition to eligible purposes under section 1452 of the Act and this subpart, a State may provide refinancing only for the eligible portion of the debt, not the entire debt.
(3) Refinancing and State match. If a State has credited repayments of loans made under a pre-existing State loan program as part of its State match, the State cannot also refinance the projects under the DWSRF program. If the State has already counted certain projects toward its State match which it now wants to refinance, the State must provide replacement funds for the amounts previously credited as match.
(d) Purchase insurance or guarantee for local debt obligations. A State may provide assistance by purchasing insurance or guaranteeing a local debt obligation to improve credit market access or to reduce interest rates. Assistance of this type is limited to local debt obligations that are undertaken to finance projects eligible for assistance under section 1452 of the Act and this subpart.
(e) Revenue or security for Fund debt obligations (leveraging). A State may use Fund assets as a source of revenue or security for the payment of principal and interest on revenue or general obligation bonds issued by the State in order to increase the total amount of funds available for providing assistance. The net proceeds of the sale of the bonds must be deposited into the Fund and must be used for providing loans and other assistance to finance projects eligible under section 1452 of the Act and this subpart.
(a) Earn interest. A State may earn interest on monies deposited into the Fund prior to disbursement of assistance (e.g., on reserve accounts used as security or guarantees). Monies deposited must not remain in the Fund primarily to earn interest. Amounts not required for current obligation or expenditure must be invested in interest bearing obligations.
(b) Program administration. A State may not use monies deposited into the Fund to cover its program administration costs. In addition to using the funds available from the administration and technical assistance set-aside under §35.3535(b), a State may use the following methods to cover its program administration and other program costs.
(1) A State may use the proceeds of bonds guaranteed by the Fund to absorb expenses incurred issuing the bonds. The net proceeds of the bonds must be deposited into the Fund.
(2) A State may assess fees on an assistance recipient which are paid directly by the recipient and are not included as principal in a loan as allowed in paragraph (b)(3) of this section. These fees, which include interest earned on fees, must be deposited into the Fund or into an account outside of the Fund. If the fees are deposited into the Fund, they are subject to the authorized uses of the Fund. If the fees are deposited into an account outside of the Fund, they must be used for program administration, other purposes for which capitalization grants can be awarded under section 1452, State match under sections 1452(e) and (g)(2) of the Act, or combined financial administration of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program Funds where the programs are administered by the same State agency.
(3) A State may assess fees on an assistance recipient which are included as principal in a loan. These fees, which include interest earned on fees, must be deposited into the Fund or into an account outside of the Fund. If the fees are deposited into the Fund, they are subject to the authorized uses of the Fund. If the fees are deposited into an account outside of the Fund, they must be used for program administration or other purposes for which capitalization grants can be awarded under section 1452. Fees included as principal in a loan cannot be used for State match under sections 1452(e) and (g)(2) of the Act or combined financial administration of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program Funds. Additionally, fees included as principal in a loan:
(i) Cannot be assessed on a disadvantaged community which receives a loan subsidy provided from the 30 percent allowance in §35.3525(b)(2);
(ii) Cannot cause the effective rate of a loan (which includes both interest and fees) to exceed the market rate; and
(iii) Cannot be assessed if the effective rate of a loan could reasonably be expected to cause a system to fail to meet the technical, financial, and managerial capability requirements under section 1452 of the Act.
(c) Transfers. The Governor of a State, or a State official acting pursuant to authorization from the Governor, may transfer an amount equal to 33 percent of a fiscal year's DWSRF program capitalization grant to the CWSRF program or an equivalent amount from the CWSRF program to the DWSRF program. The following conditions apply:
(1) When a State initially decides to transfer funds:
(i) The State's Attorney General, or someone designated by the Attorney General, must sign or concur in a certification for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program that State law permits the State to transfer funds; and
(ii) The Operating Agreements or other parts of the capitalization grant agreements for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program must be amended to detail the method the State will use to transfer funds.
(2) A State may not use the transfer provision to acquire State match for either program or use transferred funds to secure or repay State match bonds.
(3) Funds may be transferred after one year has elapsed since a State established its Fund (i.e., one year after the State has received its first DWSRF program capitalization grant for projects), and may include an amount equal to the allowance associated with its fiscal year 1997 capitalization grant.
(4) A State may reserve the authority to transfer funds in future years.
(5) Funds may be transferred on a net basis between the DWSRF program and CWSRF program, provided that the 33 percent transfer allowance associated with DWSRF program capitalization grants received is not exceeded.
(6) Funds may not be transferred or reserved after September 30, 2001.
(d) Cross-collateralization. A State may combine the Fund assets of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program as security for bond issues to enhance the lending capacity of one or both of the programs. The following conditions apply:
(1) When a State initially decides to cross-collateralize:
(i) The State's Attorney General, or someone designated by the Attorney General, must sign or concur in a certification for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program that State law permits the State to cross-collateralize the Fund assets of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program; and
(ii) The Operating Agreements or other parts of the capitalization grant agreements for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program must be amended to detail the method the State will use to cross-collateralize.
(2) The proceeds generated by the issuance of bonds must be allocated to the purposes of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program in the same proportion as the assets from the Funds that are used as security for the bonds. A State must demonstrate at the time of bond issuance that the proportionality requirements have been or will be met. If a default should occur, and the Fund assets from one program are used for debt service in the other program to cure the default, the security would no longer need to be proportional.
(3) A State may not combine the Fund assets of the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program as security for bond issues to acquire State match for either program or use the assets of one program to secure match bonds for the other program.
(4) The debt service reserves for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program must be accounted for separately.
(5) Loan repayments must be made to the respective program from which the loan was made.
(a) General.(1) A State may use a portion of its capitalization grants for the set-aside categories described in paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section, provided that the amount of set-aside funding does not exceed the ceilings specified in this section.
(2) A State may not use set-aside funds for those projects or project-related costs listed in §35.3520(b), (c), (e), and (f), with the following exceptions:
(i) Project planning and design costs for small systems; and
(ii) Costs for restructuring a system as part of a capacity development strategy.
(b) Administration and technical assistance. A State may use up to 4 percent of its allotment to cover the reasonable costs of administering the DWSRF program and to provide technical assistance to public water systems.
(c) Small systems technical assistance. A State may use up to 2 percent of its allotment to provide technical assistance to small systems. A State may use these funds for activities such as supporting a State technical assistance team or contracting with outside organizations or other parties to provide technical assistance to small systems.
(d) State program management. A State may use up to 10 percent of its allotment for State program management activities.
(1) This set-aside may only be used for the following activities:
(i) To administer the State PWSS program;
(ii) To administer or provide technical assistance through source water protection programs (including a Class V Underground Injection Control Program), except for enforcement actions;
(iii) To develop and implement a capacity development strategy; and
(iv) To develop and implement an operator certification program.
(2) Match requirement. A State must provide a dollar for dollar match for expenditures made under this set-aside.
(i) The match must be provided at the time of the capitalization grant award or in the same year that funds for this set-aside are expected to be expended in accordance with a workplan approved by EPA.
(ii) A State is authorized to use the amount of State funds it expended on its PWSS program in fiscal year 1993 (including PWSS match) as a credit toward meeting its match requirement. The value of this credit can be up to, but not greater than, 50 percent of the amount of match that is required. After determining the value of the credit that it is eligible to receive, a State must provide the additional funds necessary to meet the remainder of the match requirement. The source of these additional funds can be State funds (excluding PWSS match) or documented in-kind services.
(e) Local assistance and other State programs. A State may use up to 15 percent of its capitalization grant to assist in the development and implementation of local drinking water protection initiatives and other State programs. No more than 10 percent of the capitalization grant amount can be used for any one authorized activity.
(1) This set-aside may only be used for the following activities:
(i) A State may provide assistance only in the form of loans to community water systems and non-profit noncommunity water systems to acquire land or conservation easements from willing sellers or grantors. A system must demonstrate how the purchase of land or easements will protect the source water of the system from contamination and ensure compliance with national primary drinking water regulations. A State must develop a priority setting process for determining what parcels of land or easements to purchase or use an established priority setting process that meets the same goals. A State must seek public review and comment on its priority setting process and must identify the systems that received loans and include a description of the specific parcels of land or easements purchased in the Biennial Report.
(ii) A State may provide assistance only in the form of loans to community water systems to assist in implementing voluntary, incentive-based source water protection measures in areas delineated under a source water assessment program under section 1453 of the Act and for source water petitions under section 1454 of the Act. A State must develop a list of systems that may receive loans, giving priority to activities that facilitate compliance with national primary drinking water regulations applicable to the systems or otherwise significantly further the health protection objectives of the Act. A State must seek public review and comment on its priority setting process and its list of systems that may receive loans.
(iii) A State may make expenditures to establish and implement wellhead protection programs under section 1428 of the Act.
(iv) A State may provide assistance, including technical and financial assistance, to public water systems as part of a capacity development strategy under section 1420(c) of the Act.
(v) A State may make expenditures from its fiscal year 1997 capitalization grant to delineate and assess source water protection areas for public water systems under section 1453 of the Act. Assessments include the identification of potential sources of contamination within the delineated areas. These assessment activities are limited to the identification of contaminants regulated under the Act or unregulated contaminants that a State determines may pose a threat to public health. A State must obligate funds within 4 years of receiving its fiscal year 1997 capitalization grant.
(2) A State may make loans under this set-aside only if an assistance recipient begins annual repayment of principal and interest no later than one year after completion of the activity and completes loan repayment no later than 20 years after completion of the activity. A State must deposit repayments into the Fund or into a separate account dedicated for this set-aside. The separate account is subject to the same management oversight requirements as the Fund. Amounts deposited into the Fund are subject to the authorized uses of the Fund.
(a) General. If a State makes a grant or enters into a cooperative agreement with an assistance recipient to conduct set-aside activities, the recipient must comply with 2 CFR part 200 and the EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR part 1500.
(b) Set-aside accounts. A State must maintain separate and identifiable accounts for the portion of its capitalization grant to be used for set-aside activities.
(c) Workplans- (1) General. A State must submit detailed annual or multi-year workplans to EPA for approval describing how set-aside funds will be expended. For the administration and technical assistance set-aside under §35.3535(b), the State is only required to submit a workplan describing how it will expend funds needed to provide technical assistance to public water systems. In order to ensure that funds are expended efficiently, multi-year workplan terms negotiated with EPA must be less than four years, unless a longer term is approved by EPA.
(2) Submitting workplans. A State must submit workplans in accordance with a schedule negotiated with EPA. If a schedule has not been negotiated, the State must submit workplans no later than 90 days after the capitalization grant award. If a State does not meet the deadline for submitting its workplans, the set-aside funds that were required to be described in the workplans must be transferred to the Fund to be used for projects.
(3) Content. Workplans must at a minimum include:
(i) The annual funding amount in dollars and as a percentage of the State allotment or capitalization grant;
(ii) The projected number of work years needed for implementing each set-aside activity;
(iii) The goals and objectives, outputs, and deliverables for each set-aside activity;
(iv) A schedule for completing activities under each set-aside activity;
(v) Identification and responsibilities of the agencies involved in implementing each set-aside activity, including activities proposed to be conducted by a third party; and
(vi) A description of the evaluation process to assess the success of work funded under each set-aside activity.
(4) Amending workplans. If a State changes the scope of work from what was originally described in its workplans, it must amend the workplans and submit them to EPA for approval.
(d) Reserving set-aside funds.(1) A State may reserve set-aside funds from a capitalization grant and expend them over a period of time, provided that the State identifies the amount of funds reserved in the IUP and describes the use of the funds in workplans approved by EPA. For the administration and technical assistance set-aside under §35.3535(b), the State is only required to submit a workplan to reserve funds needed to provide technical assistance to public water systems.
(2) With the exception of the local assistance and other State programs set-aside under §35.3535(e), a State may reserve the authority to take from future capitalization grants those set-aside funds that it has not included in workplans. The State must identify in the IUP the amount of authority reserved from a capitalization grant for future use.
(e) Fund and set-aside account transfers.(1) A State may transfer funds among set-aside categories described in §35.3535(b) through (e) and among activities within these categories, provided that set-aside ceilings are not exceeded.
(2) A State may transfer funds between the Fund and set-asides, provided that set-aside ceilings are not exceeded. Set-aside funds may be transferred at any time to the Fund. If a State has taken payment for the set-aside funds to be transferred to the Fund, it must make binding commitments for these funds within one year of the transfer. Monies intended for the Fund may be transferred to set-asides only if the State has not yet taken a payment that includes those funds to be transferred in accordance with the payment schedule negotiated with EPA.
(3) The capitalization grant agreement must be amended prior to any transfer among the set-aside categories or any transfer between the Fund and set-asides.
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) General. A State must submit a capitalization grant application to EPA in order to receive a capitalization grant award. Approval of an application results in EPA and the State entering into a capitalization grant agreement which is the principal instrument by which the State commits to manage the DWSRF program in accordance with the requirements of section 1452 of the Act and this subpart.
(b) Content. In addition to the items listed in paragraphs (c) through (f) of this section, the capitalization grant agreement must contain or incorporate by reference the Application for Federal Assistance (EPA Form 424) and other related forms, IUP, negotiated payment schedule, State environmental review process (SERP), demonstrations of the specific capitalization grant agreement requirements listed in §35.3550, and other documentation required by the Regional Administrator (RA). The capitalization grant agreement must also define the types of performance measures, reporting requirements, and oversight responsibilities that will be required to determine compliance with section 1452 of the Act.
(c) Operating agreement. At the option of a State, the framework and procedures of the DWSRF program that are not expected to change annually may be described in an Operating Agreement. The Operating Agreement may be amended if the State negotiates the changes with EPA.
(d) Attorney General certification. With the capitalization grant application, the State's Attorney General, or someone designated by the Attorney General, must sign or concur in a certification that:
(1) The authority establishing the DWSRF program and the powers it confers are consistent with State law;
(2) The State may legally bind itself to the proposed terms of the capitalization grant agreement; and
(3) An agency of the State is authorized to enter into capitalization grant agreements with EPA, accept capitalization grant awards made under section 1452 of the Act, and otherwise manage the Fund in accordance with the requirements and objectives of the Act and this subpart.
(e) Roles and responsibilities of agencies. If more than one State agency participates in the implementation of the DWSRF program, the State must describe the roles and responsibilities of each agency in the capitalization grant application and include a Memorandum of Understanding or interagency agreement describing these roles and responsibilities.
(f) Process for evaluating capability and compliance. A State must include in the capitalization grant application a description of the following:
(1) The process it will use to assess the technical, financial, and managerial capability of all systems requesting assistance to ensure that the systems are in compliance with the requirements of the Act.
(2) If a State provides assistance to systems that lack technical, financial, and managerial capability, the process it will use to ensure that the systems undertake feasible and appropriate changes in operations to comply with the requirements of the Act over the long-term.
(3) If a State provides assistance to systems in significant noncompliance with any national primary drinking water regulation or variance, the process it will use to ensure that the systems return to compliance.
(a) General. A State must agree to comply with this subpart, 2 CFR part 200, the EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR part 1500 and the specific conditions of the grant. A State must also agree to the following requirements and, in some cases, provide documentation as part of the capitalization grant application.
(b) Comply with State statutes and regulations. A State must agree to comply with all State statutes and regulations that are applicable to DWSRF program funds including capitalization grant funds, State match, interest earnings, net bond proceeds, repayments, and funds used for set-aside activities.
(c) Demonstrate technical capability. A State must agree to provide documentation demonstrating that it has adequate personnel and resources to establish and manage the DWSRF program.
(d) Accept payments. A State must agree to accept capitalization grant payments in accordance with a payment schedule negotiated between EPA and the State.
(e) Make binding commitments. A State must agree to enter into binding commitments with assistance recipients to provide assistance from the Fund.
(1) Binding commitments must be made in an amount equal to the amount of each capitalization grant payment and accompanying State match that is deposited into the Fund and must be made within one year after the receipt of each grant payment.
(2) A State may make binding commitments for more than the required amount and credit the excess towards the binding commitment requirements of subsequent grant payments.
(3) If a State is concerned about its ability to comply with the binding commitment requirement, it must notify the RA and propose a revised payment schedule for future grant payments.
(f) Deposit of funds. A State must agree to promptly deposit DWSRF program funds into appropriate accounts.
(1) A State must agree to deposit the portion of the capitalization grant to be used for projects into the Fund.
(2) A State must agree to maintain separate and identifiable accounts for the portion of the capitalization grant to be used for set-aside activities.
(3) A State must agree to deposit net bond proceeds, interest earnings, and repayments into the Fund.
(4) A State must agree to deposit any fees, which include interest earned on fees, into the Fund or into separate and identifiable accounts.
(g) Provide State match. A State must agree to deposit into the Fund an amount from State monies that equals at least 20 percent of each capitalization grant payment.
(1) A State must identify the source of State match in the capitalization grant application.
(2) A State must deposit the match into the Fund on or before the date that a State receives each payment for the capitalization grant, except when a State chooses to use a letter of credit (LOC) mechanism or similar financial arrangement for the State match. Under this mechanism, payments to this LOC account must be made proportionally on the same schedule as the payments for the capitalization grant. Cash from this State match LOC account must be drawn into the Fund as cash is drawn into the Fund through the Automated Clearing House (ACH).
(3) A State may issue general obligation or revenue bonds to derive the State match. The net proceeds from the bonds issued by a State to derive the match must be deposited into the Fund and the bonds may only be retired using the interest portion of loan repayments and interest earnings of the Fund. Loan principal must not be used to retire State match bonds.
(4) If the State deposited State monies in a dedicated revolving fund after July 1, 1993, and prior to receiving a capitalization grant, the State may credit these monies toward the match requirement if:
(i) The monies were deposited in a separate revolving fund that subsequently became the Fund after receiving a capitalization grant and they were expended in accordance with section 1452 of the Act;
(ii) The monies were deposited in a separate revolving fund that has not received a capitalization grant, they were expended in accordance with section 1452 of the Act, and an amount equal to all repayments of principal and payments of interest from loans will be deposited into the Fund; or
(iii) The monies were deposited in a separate revolving fund and used as a reserve for a leveraged program consistent with section 1452 of the Act and an amount equal to the reserve is transferred to the Fund as the reserve's function is satisfied.
(5) If a State provides a match in excess of the required amount, the excess balance may be credited towards match requirements associated with subsequent capitalization grants.
(h) Provide match for State program management set-aside. A State must agree to provide a dollar for dollar match for expenditures made under the State program management set-aside in accordance with §35.3535(d)(2). This match is separate from the 20 percent State match requirement for the capitalization grant in paragraph (g) of this section and must be identified as an eligible credit, deposited into set-aside accounts, or documented as in-kind services.
(i) Use generally accepted accounting principles. A State must agree to ensure that the State and public water systems receiving assistance will use accounting, audit, and fiscal procedures conforming to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board or, in the case of privately-owned systems, the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The accounting system used for the DWSRF program must allow for proper measurement of:
(1) Revenues earned and other receipts, including but not limited to, loan repayments, capitalization grants, interest earnings, State match deposits, and net bond proceeds;
(2) Expenses incurred and other disbursements, including but not limited to, loan disbursements, repayment of bonds, and other expenditures allowed under section 1452 of the Act; and
(3) Assets, liabilities, capital contributions, and retained earnings.
(j) Conduct audits. In accordance with §35.3570(b), a State must agree to comply with the provisions of the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. A State may voluntarily agree to conduct annual independent audits.
(k) Dedicated repayment source. A State must agree to adopt policies and procedures to assure that assistance recipients have a dedicated source of revenue for repayment of loans, or in the case of privately-owned systems, assure that recipients demonstrate that there is adequate security to assure repayment of loans.
(l) Efficient expenditure. A State must agree to commit and expend all funds as efficiently as possible and in an expeditious and timely manner.
(m) Use funds in accordance with IUP. A State must agree to use all funds in accordance with an IUP that was prepared after providing for public review and comment.
(n) Biennial report. A State must agree to complete and submit a Biennial Report that describes how it has met the goals and objectives of the previous two fiscal years as stated in the IUPs and capitalization grant agreements. The State must submit this report to the RA according to the schedule established in the capitalization grant agreement.
(o) Comply with cross-cutters. A State must agree to comply with all applicable Federal cross-cutting authorities.
(p) Comply with provisions to avoid withholdings. A State must agree to demonstrate how it is complying with the requirements of capacity development authority, capacity development strategy, and operator certification program provisions in order to avoid withholdings of funds under §35.3515(b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(iii).
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) General. A State must prepare an annual IUP which describes how it intends to use DWSRF program funds to support the overall goals of the DWSRF program and contains the information outlined in paragraph (c) of this section. In those years in which a State submits a capitalization grant application, EPA must receive an IUP prior to the award of the capitalization grant. A State must prepare an annual IUP as long as the Fund or set-aside accounts remain in operation. The IUP must conform to the fiscal year adopted by the State for the DWSRF program (e.g., the State's fiscal year or the Federal fiscal year).
(b) Public review requirements. A State must seek meaningful public review and comment during the development of the IUP. A State must include a description of the public review process and an explanation of how it responded to major comments and concerns. If a State prepares separate IUPs (one for Fund monies and one for set-aside monies), the State must seek public review and comment during the development of each IUP.
(c) Content. Information in the IUP must be provided in a format and manner that is consistent with the needs of the RA.
(1) Priority system. The IUP must include a priority system for ranking individual projects for funding that provides sufficient detail for the public and EPA to readily understand the criteria used for ranking. The priority system must provide, to the maximum extent practicable, that priority for the use of funds will be given to projects that: address the most serious risk to human health; are necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Act (including requirements for filtration); and assist systems most in need, on a per household basis, according to State affordability criteria. A State that does not adhere to the three criteria must demonstrate why it is unable to do so.
(2) Priority lists of projects. All projects, with the exception of projects funded on an emergency basis, must be ranked using a State's priority system and go through a public review process prior to receiving assistance.
(i) The IUP must contain a fundable list of projects that are expected to receive assistance from available funds designated for use in the current IUP and a comprehensive list of projects that are expected to receive assistance in the future. The fundable list of projects must include: the name of the public water system; the priority assigned to the project; a description of the project; the expected terms of financial assistance based on the best information available at the time the IUP is developed; and the population of the system's service area at the time of the loan application. The comprehensive list must include, at a minimum, the priority assigned to each project and, to the extent known, the expected funding schedule for each project. A State may combine the fundable and comprehensive lists into one list, provided that projects which are expected to receive assistance from available funds designated for use in the current IUP are identified.
(ii) The IUP may include procedures which would allow a State to bypass projects on the fundable list. The procedures must clearly identify the conditions which would allow a project to be bypassed and the method for identifying which projects would receive funding. If a bypass occurs, a State must fund the highest ranked project on the comprehensive list that is ready to proceed. If a State elects to bypass a project for reasons other than readiness to proceed, the State must explain why the project was bypassed in the Biennial Report and during the annual review. To the maximum extent practicable, a State must work with bypassed projects to ensure that they will be prepared to receive funding in future years.
(iii) The IUP may allow for the funding of projects which require immediate attention to protect public health on an emergency basis, provided that a State defines what conditions constitute an emergency and identifies the projects in the Biennial Report and during the annual review.
(iv) The IUP must demonstrate how a State will meet the requirement of providing loan assistance to small systems as described in §35.3525(a)(5). A State that is unable to comply with this requirement must describe the steps it is taking to ensure that a sufficient number of projects are identified to meet this requirement in future years.
(3) Distribution of funds. The IUP must describe the criteria and methods that a State will use to distribute all funds including:
(i) The process and rationale for distribution of funds between the Fund and set-aside accounts;
(ii) The process for selection of systems to receive assistance;
(iii) The rationale for providing different types of assistance and terms, including the method used to determine the market rate and the interest rate;
(iv) The types, rates, and uses of fees assessed on assistance recipients; and
(v) A description of the financial planning process undertaken for the Fund and the impact of funding decisions on the long-term financial health of the Fund.
(4) Financial status. The IUP must describe the sources and uses of DWSRF program funds including: the total dollar amount in the Fund; the total dollar amount available for loans, including loans to small systems; the amount of loan subsidies that may be made available to disadvantaged communities from the 30 percent allowance in §35.3525(b)(2); the total dollar amount in set-aside accounts, including the amount of funds or authority reserved; and the total dollar amount in fee accounts.
(5) Short- and long-term goals. The IUP must describe the short-term and long-term goals it has developed to support the overall goals of the DWSRF program of ensuring public health protection, complying with the Act, ensuring affordable drinking water, and maintaining the long-term financial health of the Fund.
(6) Set-aside activities.(i) The IUP must identify the amount of funds a State is electing to use for set-aside activities. A State must also describe how it intends to use these funds, provide a general schedule for their use, and describe the expected accomplishments that will result from their use.
(ii) For loans made in accordance with the local assistance and other State programs set-aside under §35.3535(e)(1)(i) and (e)(1)(ii), the IUP must, at a minimum, describe the process by which recipients will be selected and how funds will be distributed among them.
(7) Disadvantaged community assistance. The IUP must describe how a State's disadvantaged community program will operate including:
(i) The State's definition of what constitutes a disadvantaged community;
(ii) A description of affordability criteria used to determine the amount of disadvantaged assistance;
(iii) The amount and type of loan subsidies that may be made available to disadvantaged communities from the 30 percent allowance in §35.3525(b)(2); and
(iv) To the maximum extent practicable, an identification of projects that will receive disadvantaged assistance and the respective amounts.
(8) Transfer process. If a State decides to transfer funds between the DWSRF program and CWSRF program, the IUPs for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program must describe the process including:
(i) The total amount and type of funds being transferred during the period covered by the IUP;
(ii) The total amount of authority being reserved for future transfer, including the authority reserved from previous years; and
(iii) The impact of the transfer on the amount of funds available to finance projects and set-asides and the long-term impact on the Fund.
(9) Cross-collateralization process. If a State decides to cross-collateralize Fund assets of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program, the IUPs for the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program must describe the process including:
(i) The type of monies which will be used as security;
(ii) How monies will be used in the event of a default; and
(iii) Whether or not monies used for a default in the other program will be repaid, and if they will not be repaid, what will be the cumulative impact on the Funds.
(d) Amending the IUP. The priority lists of projects may be amended during the year under provisions established in the IUP as long as additions or other substantive changes to the lists, except projects funded on an emergency basis, go through a public review process. A State may change the use of funds from what was originally described in the IUP as long as substantive changes go through a public review process.
(a) Payment schedule. A State will receive each capitalization grant payment in the form of an increase to the ceiling of funds available through the ACH, made in accordance with a payment schedule negotiated between EPA and the State. A payment schedule that is based on a State's projection of binding commitments and use of set-aside funds as stated in the IUP must be included in the capitalization grant agreement. Changes to the payment schedule must be made through an amendment to the grant agreement.
(b) Timing of payments. All payments to a State will be made by the earlier of 8 quarters after the capitalization grant is awarded or 12 quarters after funds are allotted to a State.
(c) Funds available for cash draw. Cash draws will be available only up to the amount of payments that have been made to a State.
(d) Estimated cash draw schedule. On a schedule negotiated with EPA, a State must provide EPA with a quarterly schedule of estimated cash draws for the Federal fiscal year. The State must notify EPA when significant changes from the estimated cash draw schedule are anticipated. This schedule must be developed to conform with the procedures applicable to cash draws and must have sufficient detail to allow EPA and the State to jointly develop and maintain a forecast of cash draws.
(e) Cash draw for set-asides. A State may draw cash through the ACH for the full amount of costs incurred for set-aside expenditures based on EPA approved workplans. A State may draw cash in advance to ensure funds are available to meet State payroll expenses. However, cash should be drawn no sooner than necessary to meet immediate payroll disbursement needs.
(f) Cash draw for Fund. A State may draw cash through the ACH for the proportionate Federal share of eligible incurred project costs. A State need not have disbursed funds for incurred project costs prior to drawing cash. A State may not draw cash for a particular project until the State has executed a loan agreement for that project.
(g) Calculation of proportionate Federal share- (1) General. The proportionate Federal share is equal to the Federal monies intended for the Fund (capitalization grant minus set-asides) divided by the total amount of monies intended for the Fund (capitalization grant minus set-asides plus required State match). A State may calculate the proportionate Federal share on a rolling average basis or on a grant by grant basis.
(2) State overmatch.(i) The proportionate Federal share does not change if a State is providing funds in excess of the required State match.
(ii) Federal monies may be drawn at a rate that is greater than that determined by the proportionate Federal share calculation when a State is given credit toward its match amount as a result of funding projects in prior years (but after July 1, 1993), or for crediting excess match in the Fund in prior years and disbursing these amounts prior to drawing cash. If the entire amount of a State's required match has been disbursed in advance, the proportionate Federal share of cash draws would be 100 percent.
A State may draw cash for the authorized types of assistance from the Fund described in §35.3525 according to the following rules:
(a) Loans- (1) Eligible project costs. A State may draw cash based on the proportionate Federal share of incurred project costs. In the case of incurred planning and design and associated pre-project costs, cash may be drawn immediately upon execution of the loan agreement.
(2) Eligible project reimbursement costs. A State may draw cash to reimburse assistance recipients for eligible project costs at a rate no greater than equal amounts over the maximum number of quarters that capitalization grant payments are made. A State may immediately draw cash for up to 5 percent of each fiscal year's capitalization grant or 2 million dollars, whichever is greater, to reimburse project costs.
(b) Refinance or purchase of local debt obligations- (1) Completed projects. A State may draw cash up to the portion of the capitalization grant committed to the refinancing or purchase of local debt obligations of municipal, intermunicipal, or interstate agencies at a rate no greater than equal amounts over the maximum number of quarters that capitalization grant payments are made. A State may immediately draw cash for up to 5 percent of each fiscal year's capitalization grant or 2 million dollars, whichever is greater, to refinance or purchase local debt.
(2) Portions of projects not completed. A State may draw cash based on the proportionate Federal share of incurred project costs according to the rule for loans in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(3) Purchase of incremental disbursement bonds from local governments. A State may draw cash based on a schedule that coincides with the rate at which costs are expected to be incurred for the project.
(c) Purchase insurance for local debt obligations. A State may draw cash for the proportionate Federal share of insurance premiums as they are due.
(d) Guarantee for local debt obligations- (1) In the event of default. In the event of imminent default in debt service payments on a guaranteed local debt, a State may draw cash immediately up to the total amount of the capitalization grant that is dedicated for the guarantee. If a balance remains after the default is satisfied, the State must negotiate a revised cash draw schedule for the remaining amount dedicated for the guarantee.
(2) In the absence of default. A State may draw cash up to the amount of the capitalization grant dedicated for the guarantee based on actual incurred project costs. The amount of the cash draw would be based on the proportionate Federal share of incurred project costs multiplied by the ratio of the guarantee reserve to the amount guaranteed.
(e) Revenue or security for Fund debt obligations (leveraging)- (1) In the event of default. In the event of imminent default in debt service payments on a secured debt, a State may draw cash immediately up to the total amount of the capitalization grant that is dedicated for the security. If a balance remains after the default is satisfied, the State must negotiate a revised schedule for the remaining amount dedicated for the security.
(2) In the absence of default. A State may draw cash up to the amount of the capitalization grant dedicated for the security using either of the following methods:
(i) All projects method. A State may draw cash based on the incurred project costs multiplied by the ratio of the Federal portion of the reserve to the total reserve multiplied by the ratio of the total reserve to the net bond proceeds.
(ii) Group of projects method. A State may identify a group of projects whose cost is approximately equal to the total of that portion of the capitalization grant and the State match dedicated as a security. The State may then draw cash based on the incurred costs of the selected projects only, multiplied by the ratio of the Federal portion of the security to the entire security.
(3) Aggressive leveraging. Where the cash draw rules in paragraphs (e)(1) and (e)(2) of this section would significantly frustrate a State's leveraged program, EPA may permit an exception to these cash draw rules and provide for a more accelerated cash draw. A State must demonstrate that:
(i) There are eligible projects ready to proceed in the immediate future with enough costs to justify the amount of the secured bond issue;
(ii) The absence of cash on an accelerated basis will substantially delay these projects;
(iii) The Fund will provide substantially more assistance if accelerated cash draws are allowed; and
(iv) The long-term viability of the State program to meet drinking water needs will be protected.
(f) Loans to privately-owned systems. In cases where State monies cannot be used to provide loans to privately-owned systems, a State may draw 100 percent Federal monies for costs incurred by privately-owned systems. When Federal monies are drawn for incurred costs, the State must deposit or have previously deposited into the Fund the required match associated with the amount of cash drawn. Every 18 months, the State must submit documentation showing that it has met its proportionate Federal share within the last 6 months. If a State is unable to document that it has met its proportionate Federal share, State match deposited into the Fund must be expended before Federal monies are drawn for costs incurred by publicly-owned systems until the State meets its proportionate Federal share.
(a) Biennial report- (1) General. A State must submit a Biennial Report to the RA describing how it has met the goals and objectives of the previous two fiscal years as stated in the IUPs and capitalization grant agreements, including the most recent audit of the Fund and the entire State allotment. The State must submit this report to the RA according to the schedule established in the capitalization grant agreement. Information provided in the Biennial Report on other EPA programs eligible for assistance from the DWSRF program may not replace the reporting requirements for those other programs.
(2) Financial report. As part of the Biennial Report, a State must present the financial status of the DWSRF program, including the total dollar amount in fee accounts. This report must, at a minimum, include the financial statements and footnotes required under GAAP to present fairly the financial condition and results of operations.
(3) Matters to establish in the biennial report. A State must establish in the Biennial Report that it has complied with section 1452 of the Act and this subpart. In particular, the Biennial Report must demonstrate that a State has:
(i) Managed the DWSRF program in a fiscally prudent manner and adopted policies and processes which promote the long-term financial health of the Fund;
(ii) Deposited its match (cash or State LOC) into the Fund in accordance with the requirements of §35.3550(g);
(iii) Made binding commitments with assistance recipients to provide assistance from the Fund consistent with the requirements of §35.3550(e);
(iv) Funded only the highest priority projects listed in the IUP and documented why priority projects were bypassed in accordance with §35.3555(c)(2);
(v) Provided assistance only to eligible public water systems and for eligible projects and project-related costs under §35.3520;
(vi) Provided assistance only for eligible set-aside activities under §35.3535 and conducted activities consistent with workplans and other requirements of §35.3535 and §35.3540;
(vii) Provided loan assistance to small systems consistent with the requirements of §35.3525(a)(5) and §35.3555(c)(2)(iv);
(viii) Provided assistance to disadvantaged communities consistent with the requirements of §35.3525(b) and §35.3555(c)(7);
(ix) Used fees for eligible purposes under §35.3530(b)(2) and (b)(3) and assessed fees included as principal in a loan in accordance with the limitations in §35.3530(b)(3)(i) through (b)(3)(iii);
(x) Adopted and implemented procedures consistent with the requirements of §35.3530(c) and §35.3555(c)(8) if funds were transferred between the DWSRF program and CWSRF program;
(xi) Adopted and implemented procedures consistent with the requirements of §35.3530(d) and §35.3555(c)(9) if Fund assets of the DWSRF program and CWSRF program were cross-collateralized;
(xii) Reviewed all DWSRF program funded projects and activities for compliance with Federal cross-cutting authorities that apply to the State as a grant recipient and those which apply to assistance recipients in accordance with §35.3575;
(xiii) Reviewed all DWSRF program funded projects and activities in accordance with approved State environmental review procedures under §35.3580; and
(xiv) Complied with 2 CFR part 200, the EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR part 1500 and the specific conditions of the grant.
(4) Joint report. A State which jointly administers the DWSRF program and the CWSRF program may submit a report that addresses both programs. However, programmatic and financial information for each program must be identified separately.
(b) Audit.(1) A State must comply with the provisions of the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, 31 U.S.C. 7501-7, 2 CFR part 200 and the Office of Management and Budget's Compliance Supplement.
(2) A State may voluntarily agree to conduct annual independent audits which provide an auditor's opinion on the DWSRF program financial statements, reports on internal controls, and reports on compliance with section 1452 of the Act, applicable regulations, and general grant requirements. The agreement to conduct voluntary independent audits should be documented in the Operating Agreement or in another part of the capitalization grant agreement.
(3) Those States that do not conduct independent audits will be subject to periodic audits by the EPA Office of Inspector General.
(c) Annual review- (1) Purpose. The purpose of the annual review is to assess the success of the State's performance of activities identified in the IUP, Biennial Report (in years when it is submitted), and Operating Agreement (if used) and to determine compliance with the capitalization grant agreement, requirements of section 1452 of the Act, and this subpart. The RA will complete the annual review according to the schedule established in the capitalization grant agreement.
(2) Records access. After reasonable notice by the RA, the State or assistance recipient must make available such records as the RA reasonably considers pertinent to review and determine State compliance with the capitalization grant agreement and requirements of section 1452 of the Act and this subpart. The RA may conduct on-site visits as deemed necessary to perform the annual review.
(d) Information management system- (1) Purpose. The purpose of the information management system is to assess the DWSRF programs, to monitor State progress in years in which Biennial Reports are not submitted, and to assist in conducting annual reviews.
(2) Reporting. A State must annually submit information to EPA on the amount of funds available and assistance provided by the DWSRF program.
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76057, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) General. A number of Federal laws, executive orders, and government-wide policies apply by their own terms to projects and activities receiving Federal financial assistance, regardless of whether the statute authorizing the assistance makes them applicable. A few cross-cutters apply by their own terms only to the State as the grant recipient because the authorities explicitly limit their application to grant recipients.
(b) Application of cross-cutter requirements. Except as provided in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section and in §35.3580, cross-cutter requirements apply in the following manner:
(1) All projects for which a State provides assistance in amounts up to the amount of the capitalization grant deposited into the Fund must comply with the requirements of the cross-cutters. Activities for which a State provides assistance from capitalization grant funds deposited into set-aside accounts must comply with the requirements of the cross-cutters, to the extent that the requirements of the cross-cutters are applicable.
(2) Projects and activities for which a State provides assistance in amounts that are greater than the amount of the capitalization grant deposited into the Fund or set-aside accounts are not subject to the requirements of the cross-cutters.
(3) A State that elects to impose the requirements of the cross-cutters on projects and activities for which it provides assistance in amounts that are greater than the amount of the capitalization grant deposited into the Fund or set-aside accounts may credit this excess to meet future cross-cutter requirements on assistance provided from the respective accounts.
(c) Federal anti-discrimination law requirements. All programs, projects, and activities for which a State provides assistance are subject to the following Federal anti-discrimination laws: Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.; section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 794; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 6102.
(d) [Reserved]
(e) Complying with cross-cutters. A State is responsible for ensuring that assistance recipients comply with the requirements of cross-cutters, including initiating any required consultations with State or Federal agencies responsible for individual cross-cutters. A State must inform EPA when consultation or coordination with other Federal agencies is necessary to resolve issues regarding compliance with cross-cutter requirements.
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 73 FR 15922, Mar. 26, 2008]
(a) General. With the exception of activities identified in paragraph (b) of this section, a State must conduct environmental reviews of the potential environmental impacts of projects and activities receiving assistance.
(b) Activities excluded from environmental reviews. A State must conduct environmental reviews of source water protection activities under §35.3535, unless the activities solely involve administration (e.g., personnel, equipment, travel) or technical assistance. A State is not required to conduct environmental reviews of all the other eligible set-aside activities under §35.3535 because EPA has determined that, due to their nature, they do not individually, cumulatively over time, or in conjunction with other actions have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. A State does not need to include provisions in its SERP for excluding these activities. Activities excluded from environmental reviews remain subject to other applicable Federal cross-cutting authorities under §35.3575.
(c) Tier I environmental reviews. All projects that are assisted by the State in amounts up to the amount of the capitalization grant deposited into the Fund must be reviewed in accordance with a SERP that is functionally equivalent to the review undertaken by EPA under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). With the exception of activities excluded from environmental reviews in paragraph (b) of this section, activities for which a State provides assistance from capitalization grant funds deposited into set-aside accounts must also be reviewed in accordance with a SERP that is functionally equivalent to the review undertaken by EPA under the NEPA. A State may elect to apply the procedures at 40 CFR part 6 and related subparts or apply its own “NEPA-like” SERP for conducting environmental reviews, provided that the following elements are met:
(1) Legal foundation. A State must have the legal authority to conduct environmental reviews of projects and activities receiving assistance. The legal authority and supporting documentation must specify:
(i) The mechanisms to implement mitigation measures to ensure that a project or activity is environmentally sound;
(ii) The legal remedies available to the public to challenge environmental review determinations and enforcement actions;
(iii) The State agency that is primarily responsible for conducting environmental reviews; and
(iv) The extent to which environmental review responsibilities will be delegated to local recipients and will be subject to oversight by the primary State agency.
(2) Interdisciplinary approach. A State must employ an interdisciplinary approach for identifying and mitigating adverse environmental effects including, but not limited to, those associated with other cross-cutting Federal environmental authorities.
(3) Decision documentation. A State must fully document the information, processes, and premises that influence its decisions to:
(i) Proceed with a project or activity contained in a finding of no significant impact (FNSI) following documentation in an environmental assessment (EA);
(ii) Proceed or not proceed with a project or activity contained in a record of decision (ROD) following preparation of a full environmental impact statement (EIS);
(iii) Reaffirm or modify a decision contained in a previously issued categorical exclusion (CE), EA/FNSI or EIS/ROD following a mandatory 5 year environmental reevaluation of a proposed project or activity; and
(iv) If a State elects to implement processes for either partitioning an environmental review or categorically excluding projects or activities from environmental review, the State must similarly document these processes in its proposed SERP.
(4) Public notice and participation. A State must provide public notice when: a CE is issued or rescinded; a FNSI is issued but before it becomes effective; a decision that is issued 5 years earlier is reaffirmed or revised; and prior to initiating an EIS. Except with respect to a public notice of a CE or reaffirmation of a previous decision, a formal public comment period must be provided during which no action on a project or activity will be allowed. A public hearing or meeting must be held for all projects and activities except for those having little or no environmental effect.
(5) Alternatives consideration. A State must have evaluation criteria and processes which allow for:
(i) Comparative evaluation among alternatives, including the beneficial and adverse consequences on the existing environment, the future environment, and individual sensitive environmental issues that are identified by project management or through public participation; and
(ii) Devising appropriate near-term and long-range measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse impacts.
(d) Tier II environmental reviews. A State may elect to apply an alternative SERP to all projects and activities (except those activities excluded from environmental reviews in paragraph (b) of this section) for which a State provides assistance in amounts that are greater than the amount of the capitalization grant deposited into the Fund or set-aside accounts, provided that the process:
(1) Is supported by a legal foundation which establishes the State's authority to review projects and activities;
(2) Responds to other environmental objectives of the State;
(3) Provides for comparative evaluations among alternatives and accounts for beneficial and adverse consequences to the existing and future environment;
(4) Adequately documents the information, processes, and premises that influence an environmental determination; and
(5) Provides for notice to the public of proposed projects and activities and for the opportunity to comment on alternatives and to examine environmental review documents. For projects or activities determined by the State to be controversial, a public hearing must be held.
(e) Categorical exclusions (CEs). A State may identify categories of actions which do not individually, cumulatively over time, or in conjunction with other actions have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment and which the State will exclude from the substantive environmental review requirements of its SERP. Any procedures under this paragraph must provide for extraordinary circumstances in which a normally excluded action may have a significant environmental effect.
(f) Environmental reviews for refinanced projects or reimbursed project costs. A State must conduct an environmental review which considers the impacts of a project based on conditions of the site prior to initiation of the project. Failure to comply with the environmental review requirements cannot be justified on the grounds that costs have already been incurred, impacts have already been caused, or contractual obligations have been made prior to the binding commitment.
(g) EPA approval process. The RA must review and approve any State “NEPA-like” and alternative procedures to ensure that the requirements for Tier I and Tier II environmental reviews have been met. The RA will conduct these reviews on the basis of the criteria for evaluating NEPA-like reviews contained in Appendix A to this subpart.
(h) Modifications to approved SERPs. Significant changes to State environmental review procedures must be approved by the RA.
(a) Causes. The RA may take action under this section and the remedies of noncompliance of 2 CFR 200.339 through 200.343, if a determination is made that a State has not complied with its capitalization grant agreement, other requirements under section 1452 of the Act, this subpart, 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500, or has not managed the DWSRF program in a financially sound manner ( e.g., allows consistent and substantial failures of loan repayments).
(b) RA's course of action. For cause under paragraph (a) of this section, the RA will issue a notice of non-compliance and may prescribe appropriate corrective action. A State's corrective action must remedy the specific instance of non-compliance and adjust program management to avoid non-compliance in the future.
(c) Consequences for failure to comply.(1) If within 60 days of receipt of the non-compliance notice a State fails to take the necessary actions to obtain the results required by the RA or fails to provide an acceptable plan to achieve the results required, the RA may suspend payments until the State has taken acceptable actions. Once a State has taken the corrective action deemed necessary and adequate by the RA, the suspended payments will be released and scheduled payments will recommence.
(2) If a State fails to take the necessary corrective action deemed adequate by the RA within 12 months of receipt of the original notice, any suspended payments will be deobligated and reallotted to eligible States. Once a payment has been made for the Fund, that payment and cash draws from that payment will not be subject to withholding. All future payments will be withheld from a State and reallotted until such time that adequate corrective action is taken and the RA determines that the State is back in compliance.
(d) Dispute resolution. A State or an assistance recipient that has been adversely affected by an action or omission by EPA may request a review of the action or omission under 2 CFR part 1500, subpart E.
[65 FR 48299, Aug. 7, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76058, Dec. 19, 2014; 87 FR 30400, May 19, 2022]
The following criteria will be used by the RA to evaluate a proposed SERP:
(A) Legal foundation. Adequate documentation of the legal authority, including legislation, regulations or executive orders and/or Attorney General certification that authority exists.
(B) Interdisciplinary approach. The availability of expertise, either in-house or otherwise, accessible to the State agency.
(C) Decision documentation. A description of a documentation process adequate to explain the basis for decisions to the public.
(D) Public notice and participation. A description of the process, including routes of publication (e.g., local newspapers and project mailing list), and use of established State legal notification systems for notices of intent, and criteria for determining whether a public hearing is required. The adequacy of a rationale where the comment period differs from that under NEPA and is inconsistent with other State review periods.
(E) Alternatives consideration. The extent to which the SERP will adequately consider:
(1) Designation of a study area comparable to the final system;
(2) A range of feasible alternatives, including the no action alternative;
(3) Direct and indirect impacts;
(4) Present and future conditions;
(5) Land use and other social parameters including relevant recreation and open-space considerations;
(6) Consistency with population projections used to develop State implementation plans under the Clean Air Act;
(7) Cumulative impacts including anticipated community growth (residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial) within the project study area; and
(8) Other anticipated public works projects including coordination with such projects.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 9617(e); sec. 9(g), E.O. 12580, 52 FR 2923, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 193.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.
Authority: Sec. 320 of the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1330).
This subpart codifies policies and procedures for financial assistance awarded by the EPA to State, interstate, and regional water pollution control agencies and entities and other eligible agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals for pollution abatement and control programs under the National Estuary Program (NEP). These provisions supplement the EPA general assistance regulations in 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500.
[54 FR 40804, Oct. 3, 1989, as amended at 79 FR 76061, Dec. 19, 2014]
Section 320(g) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes assistance to eligible States, agencies, entities, institutions, organizations, and individuals for developing a comprehensive conservation and management plan (CCMP) for an estuary.
Aggregate costs. The total cost of all research, surveys, studies, modeling, and other technical work completed by a Management Conference during a fiscal year to develop a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the estuary.
Annual work plan. The plan, developed by the Management Conference each year, which documents projects to be undertaken during the upcoming year. The Annual Work Plan is developed within budgetary targets provided by EPA.
Five-Year State/EPA Conference Agreement. Agreement negotiated among the States represented in a Management Conference and the EPA shortly after the Management Conference is convened. The agreement identifies milestones to be achieved during the term of the Management Conference.
Management Conference. A Management Conference convened by the Administrator under Section 320 of the CWA for an estuary in the NEP.
National Program Assistance Agreements. Assistance Agreements approved by the EPA Assistant Administrator for Water for work undertaken to accomplish broad NEP goals and objectives.
Work Program. The Scope of Work of an assistance application, which identifies how and when the applicant will use funds to produce specific outputs.
(a) EPA considers various factors to allocate among the Management Conferences the funds requested in the President's budget for the NEP. Each year, the Director of the Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection issues budgetary targets for the NEP for each Management Conference. These targets are based upon negotiated Five-Year State/EPA Conference Agreements.
(b) Using the budgetary targets provided by EPA, each Management Conference develops Annual Work Plans describing the work to be completed during the year and identifies individual projects to be funded for the completion of such work. Each applicant having a scope of work approved by the Management Conference completes a standard EPA application, including a proposed work program. After the applicant submits an application, the Regional Administrator reviews it and, if it meets applicable requirements, approves the application and agrees to make an award when funds are available. The Regional Administrator awards assistance from funds appropriated by Congress for that purpose.
(c) The recipient conducts activities according to the approved application and assistance award. The Regional Administrator evaluates recipient performance to ensure compliance with all conditions of the assistance award.
(d) The Regional Administrator may use funds not awarded to an applicant to supplement awards to other recipients who submit a scope of work approved by the management conference for NEP funds.
(e) The EPA Assistant Administrator for Water may approve National Program awards as provided in §35.9070.
[87 FR 30401, May 19, 2022]
The EPA Assistant Administrator for Water develops planning targets each year to help each Management Conference develop an Annual Work Plan. These targets are broad budgetary goals for total expenditures by each estuary program and are directly related to the activities that are to be carried out by each Management Conference in that year as specified in the Five-Year State/EPA Conference Agreement. The planning targets also are based on the Director's evaluation of the ability of each Management Conference to use appropriated funds effectively.
The work program is part of the application for financial assistance and becomes part of the award document. It is part of the basis for an award decision and the basis for management and evaluation of performance under an assistance award. The work program must specify the level of effort and amount and source of funding estimated to be needed for each identified activity, the outputs committed for each activity, and the schedule for delivery of outputs.
An applicant may choose its budget period in consultation with and subject to the approval of the Regional Administrator.
Each applicant should submit a complete application at least 60 days before the beginning of the budget period. In addition to meeting applicable requirements contained in 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500, a complete application must contain a discussion of performance to date under an existing award, the proposed work program, and a list of all applicable EPA-approved State strategies and program plans, with a statement certifying that the proposed work program is consistent with these elements. The annual workplan developed and approved by the management conference each fiscal year must demonstrate that non-Federal sources provide at least 25 percent of the aggregate costs of research, surveys, studies, modeling, and other technical work necessary for the development of a CCMP for the estuary. Each application must contain a copy of the Annual Work Plan as specified in §35.9065(c) (2) and (3) for the current Federal fiscal year. The funding table in the workplan must demonstrate that the 25 percent match requirements is being met, and the workplan table of project status must show the sources of funds supporting each project.
[54 FR 40804, Oct. 3, 1989, as amended at 79 FR 76061, Dec. 19, 2014]
The Regional Administrator will review each completed application and should approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the application within 60 days of receipt. When funds are available, the Regional Administrator will award assistance based on an approved or conditionally approved application. For a continuation award made after the beginning of the approved budget period, EPA will reimburse the applicant for allowable costs incurred from the beginning of the budget period, provided that such costs are contained in the approved application and that the application was submitted before the expiration of the prior budget period.
(a) Approval.The Regional Administrator will approve the application only if it satisfies the requirements of CWA section 320; the terms, conditions, and limitations of this subpart; and the applicable provisions of 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500, and other EPA assistance regulations. The Regional Administrator must also determine that the proposed outputs are consistent with EPA guidance or otherwise demonstrated to be necessary and appropriate; and that achievement of the proposed outputs is feasible, considering the applicant's past performance, program authority, organization, resources, and procedures.
(b) Conditional approval. The Regional Administrator may conditionally approve the application after consulting with the applicant if only minor changes are required. The award will include the conditions the applicant must meet to secure final approval and the date by which those conditions must be met.
(c) Disapproval. If the application cannot be approved or conditionally approved, the Regional Administrator will negotiate with the applicant to change the output commitments, reduce the assistance amount, or make any other changes necessary for approval. If negotiation fails, the Regional Administrator will disapprove the application in writing.
[54 FR 40804, Oct. 3, 1989, as amended at 79 FR 76061, Dec. 19, 2014]
(a) Determining the assistant amount. In determining the amount of assistance to an applicant, the Regional Administrator will consider the Management Conference planning target, the extent to which the applicant's Work Program is consistent with EPA guidance, and the anticipated cost of the applicant's program relative to the proposed outputs.
(b) Reduction of assistance amount. If the Regional Administrator determines that the proposed outputs do not justify the level of funding requested, he will reduce the assistance amount. If the evaluation indicates that the proposed outputs are not consistent with the priorities contained in EPA guidance, the Regional Administrator may reduce the assistance amount.
The Regional Administrator will oversee each recipient's performance under an assistance agreement. In consultation with the applicant, the Regional Administrator will develop a process for evaluating the recipient's performance. The Regional Administrator will include the schedule for evaluation in the assistance agreement and will evaluate recipient performance and progress toward completing the outputs in the approved work program according to the schedule. The Regional Administrator will provide the evaluation findings to the recipient and will include these findings in the official assistance file. If the evaluation reveals that the recipient is not achieving one or more of the conditions of the assistance agreement, the Regional Administrator will attempt to resolve the situation through negotiation. If agreement is not reached, the Regional Administrator may impose sanctions under the applicable provisions of 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500.
[54 FR 40804, Oct. 3, 1989, as amended at 79 FR 76061, Dec. 19, 2014]
The Regional Administrator may provide up to 100 percent of the approved work program costs for a particular application provided that non-Federal sources provide at least 25 percent of the aggregate costs of research, surveys, studies, modeling, and other technical work necessary for the development of a comprehensive conservation and management plan for the estuary as specified in the estuary Annual Work Plan for each fiscal year.
(a) Management conferences. The Regional Administrator will not award funds pursuant to CWA section 320(g) to any applicant unless and until the scope of work and overall budget have been approved by the Management Conference of the estuary for which the work is proposed.
(b) Elements of annual workplans. Annual Work Plans to be prepared by estuary Management Conferences must be reviewed by the Regional Administrator before final ratification by the Management Conference and must include the following elements:
(1) Introduction. A discussion of achievements in the estuary, a summary of activities undertaken in the past year to further each of the seven purposes of a Management Conference specified in section 320(b) of the CWA, the major emphases for activity in the upcoming year, and a schedule of milestones to be reached during the year.
(2) Funding sources. A table of fund sources for activities in the new year, including a description of the sources and types (e.g., in-kind contributions to be performed by the applicant) of funds comprising the contribution by applicants or third parties, and the source and type of any other non-Federal funds or contributions.
(3) Projects. A description of each project to be undertaken, a summary table of project status listing all activities, the responsible organization or individual, the products expected from each project, approximate schedules, budgets, and the source and type of the non-Federal 25 percent minimum cost share of the aggregate costs of research, surveys, studies, modeling, and other technical work necessary for the development of a comprehensive conservation and management plan for an estuary.
[54 FR 40804, Oct. 3, 1989, as amended at 59 FR 61126, Nov. 29, 1994]
The Assistant Administrator for Water may approve the award of NEP funds for work that has broad applicability to estuaries of national significance. These awards shall be deemed to be consistent with Annual Work Plans and Five-Year State/EPA Conference Agreements approved by individual management conferences. The amount of a national program award shall not exceed 75 percent of the approved work program costs provided the non-Federal share of such costs is provided from non-Federal sources.
This part implements a Federal credit assistance program for water infrastructure projects.
The following definitions apply to this part:
Community water system has the meaning given the term in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f).
Credit assistance means a secured loan or loan guarantee under 33 U.S.C. 3908.
Credit agreement means a contractual agreement between the EPA and the project sponsor (and the lender, if applicable) that formalizes the terms and conditions established in the term sheet (or conditional term sheet) and authorizes the execution of a secured loan or loan guarantee.
Credit subsidy cost shall have the same meaning as “cost” under section 502(5) of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661a(5)), which is the net present value at the time the obligation is entered into. The credit subsidy cost for a given project is calculated by EPA in consultation with OMB. The credit subsidy cost must be less than the unobligated subsidy amount that has been appropriated by Congress to date.
Eligible project costs mean amounts, substantially all of which are paid by, or for the account of, an obligor in connection with a project, including the cost of:
(1) Development-phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis (including any related analysis necessary to carry out an eligible project), revenue forecasting, environmental review, permitting, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities;
(2) Construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and replacement activities;
(3) The acquisition of real property or an interest in real property (including water rights, land relating to the project, and improvements to land), environmental mitigation (including acquisitions pursuant to section 5026(7)), construction contingencies, and acquisition of equipment; and
(4) Capitalized interest necessary to meet market requirements, reasonably required reserve funds, capital issuance expenses, and other carrying costs during construction. Capitalized interest on the WIFIA credit instrument is not an eligible project cost.
Federal credit instrument means a secured loan or loan guarantee authorized to be made available under 33 U.S.C. 3901-3914 with respect to a project.
Investment-grade rating means a rating category of BBB minus, Baa3, bbb minus, BBB (low), or higher assigned by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) to project obligations offered into the capital markets.
Iron and steel products means the following products made primarily of iron or steel: Lined or unlined pipes and fittings, manhole covers and other municipal castings, hydrants, tanks, flanges, pipe clamps and restraints, valves, structural steel, reinforced precast concrete, and construction materials.
Lender means any non-Federal qualified institutional buyer (as defined in 17 CFR 230.144A(a)), known as Rule 144A(a) of the Securities and Exchange Commission and issued under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a et seq.), including:
(1) A qualified retirement plan (as defined in section 4974(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 4974(c)) that is a qualified institutional buyer; and
(2) A governmental plan (as defined in section 414(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 414(d)) that is a qualified institutional buyer.
Loan guarantee means any guarantee or other pledge by the Administrator to pay all or part of the principal of and interest on a loan or other debt obligation issued by an obligor and funded by a lender.
Nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) means a credit rating agency identified and registered by the Office of Credit Ratings in the Securities and Exchange Commission under 15 U.S.C. 78o-7.
Obligor means a party primarily liable for payment of the principal of or interest on a Federal credit instrument, which party may be a corporation; partnership; joint venture; trust; Federal, State, or local governmental entity, agency, or instrumentality; tribal government or consortium of tribal governments; or a State infrastructure finance authority.
Project means:
(1) One or more activities that are eligible for assistance under section 603(c) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383(c)), notwithstanding the public ownership requirement under paragraph (1) of that subsection;
(2) One or more activities described in section 1452(a)(2) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12(a)(2));
(3) A project for enhanced energy efficiency in the operation of a public water system or a publicly owned treatment works;
(4) A project for repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of a treatment works, community water system, or aging water distribution or waste collection facility (including a facility that serves a population or community of an Indian reservation).;
(5) A brackish or sea water desalination project, a managed aquifer recharge project, or a water recycling project;
(6) Acquisition of real property or an interest in real property -
(i) If the acquisition is integral to a project described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of this definition; or
(ii) Pursuant to an existing plan that, in the judgment of the Administrator, would mitigate the environmental impacts of water resources infrastructure projects otherwise eligible for assistance under this section;
(7) A combination of projects, each of which is eligible under paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition, for which a State infrastructure financing authority submits to the Administrator a single application; or
(8) A combination of projects secured by a common security pledge, each of which is eligible under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this definition, for which an eligible entity, or a combination of eligible entities, submits a single application.
Project obligation means any note, bond, debenture, or other debt obligation issued by an obligor in connection with the financing of a project, other than a Federal credit instrument.
Project sponsor, for the purposes of this part, means an applicant for WIFIA assistance or an obligor, as appropriate.
Publicly sponsored means the obligor can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Administrator, that it has consulted with the affected state, local, or tribal government in which the project is located, or is otherwise affected by the project, and that such government supports the proposed project. Support can be shown by a certified letter signed by the approving municipal department or similar agency, mayor or other similar designated authority, local ordinance, or any other means by which local government approval can be evidenced.
Secured loan means a direct loan or other debt obligation issued by an obligor and funded by the Administrator in connection with the financing of a project under 33 U.S.C. 3908.
State means any one of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States.
State infrastructure financing authority means the State entity established or designated by the Governor of a State to receive a capitalization grant provided by, or otherwise carry out the requirements of, title VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) or section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12).
Subsidy amount means the dollar amount of budget authority sufficient to cover the estimated long-term cost to the Federal Government of a Federal credit instrument, calculated on a net present value basis, excluding administrative costs and any incidental effects on governmental receipts or outlays in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661 et seq.).
Substantial completion means the stage in the progress of the project when the project or designated portion thereof is sufficiently complete in accordance with the contract documents so that the project or a portion thereof can be used for its intended use.
Term sheet means a contractual agreement between the EPA and the project sponsor (and the lender, if applicable) that sets forth the key business terms and conditions of a Federal credit instrument. Execution of this document represents a legal obligation of budget authority.
Treatment works has the meaning given the term in section 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1292).
WIFIA means the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, Pub. L. 113-121, 128 Stat, 1332, codified at 33 U.S.C. 3901-3914.
(a) The total amount of credit assistance offered to any project under this part shall not exceed 49% of the anticipated eligible project costs, as measured on an aggregate cash (year-of-expenditure) basis, or, if the secured loan does not receive an investment-grade rating, the total amount of credit assistance shall not exceed the amount of the senior project obligations of the project.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, the Administrator may offer credit assistance in excess of 49% of the anticipated eligible project costs as long as such excess assistance combined for all projects does not require greater than 25% of the subsidy amount made available for the fiscal year.
(1) Credit assistance may not exceed 80% of the total project costs due to a statutory restriction on the maximum extent of federal participation in a project, except in the case of certain rural water projects authorized to be carried out by the Secretary of the Interior that includes among its beneficiaries a federally recognized Indian tribe and for which the authorized Federal share of the total project costs is greater than 80%.
(2) Use of the authority to offer credit assistance in excess of 49% of the anticipated eligible project costs shall be considered only under extraordinarily exceptional circumstances.
(3) In the event this authority is used, all other criteria and requirements described in this part must be met and adhered to.
(c) Costs incurred, and the value of any integral in-kind contributions made, before receipt of credit assistance may be considered in calculating eligible project costs only upon approval of the Administrator. Such costs and integral in-kind contributions must be directly related to the development or execution of the project and must be eligible project costs as defined in §35.10005. In addition, such costs, excluding the value of any integral in-kind contributions, are payable from the proceeds of the WIFIA credit instrument and shall be considered incurred costs for purposes of paragraph (f) of this section. Capitalized interest on the WIFIA credit instrument is not eligible for calculating eligible project costs.
(d) No costs financed internally or with interim funding may be refinanced under this part later than a year following substantial completion of the project.
(e) The Administrator shall not obligate funds for a project that has not received an environmental Categorical Exclusion, Finding of No Significant Impact, or Record of Decision under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.
(f) The Administrator shall fund a secured loan based on the project's financing needs. The credit agreement shall include the anticipated schedule for such loan disbursements. Actual disbursements will be based on incurred costs, and in accordance with the approved construction plan, as evidenced by paid invoices.
(g) The interest rate on a secured loan will be equal to or greater than the yield on U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturity on the date of execution of the credit agreement as identified through use of the daily rate tables published by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for the State and Local Government Series (SLGS) investments. The yield on comparable Treasury securities will be estimated by adding one basis point to the SLGS daily rate with a maturity that is closest to the weighted average loan life of the WIFIA credit instrument, measured from first disbursement.
(h) The final maturity date of a secured loan will be the earlier of the date that is 35 years after the date of substantial completion of the project, as determined by the Administrator and identified in the assistance agreement, and if the useful life of the project, as determined by the Administrator, is less than 35 years, the useful life the project; however, the final maturity date of a secured loan to a State infrastructure financing authority will be not later than 35 years after the date on which amounts are first disbursed. In determining the useful life of the project, for the purposes of establishing the final maturity date of the WIFIA credit instrument, the Administrator will consider the useful economic life of the asset(s) being financed.
(i) A secured loan will not be subordinated to the claims of any holder of project obligations in the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation of the obligor of the project.
(j) EPA will establish a repayment schedule for a secured loan based on the projected cash flow from project revenues and other repayment sources. Scheduled loan repayments of principal or interest on a secured loan will commence not later than 5 years after the date of substantial completion of the project as determined by the Administrator; however, scheduled loan repayments of principal or interest on a secured loan to a State infrastructure financing authority will commence not later than 5 years after the date on which amounts are first disbursed.
[81 FR 91833, Dec. 19, 2016, as amended at 83 FR 29694, June 26, 2018]
(a) Each fiscal year for which budget authority is made available by Congress, the EPA shall publish a Federal Register notice to solicit letters of interest for credit assistance called a Notice of Funding Availability. Such notice will specify the relevant due dates, the estimated amount of funding available to support WIFIA credit instruments for the current and future fiscal years, contact name(s), and other details for submissions and funding approvals.
(b) Public and private applicants for credit assistance under this part will be required to submit letters of interest to the EPA in order to be selected by the Administrator to submit an application.
(c) The application process is divided into two steps: letter of interest and application.
(1) The letter of interest provides enough information for EPA to make a project selection and invite prospective borrowers to submit applications. Such information may include, but is not limited to:
(i) Prospective borrower information;
(ii) Project plan;
(iii) Preliminary project operations and maintenance plan;
(iv) Proposed financing plan and audited financial statements;
(v) Contact information;
(vi) Written responses addressing selection criteria;
(vii) Certifications; and
(viii) Notification of state infrastructure financing authority.
(2) The application provides all relevant information for EPA to provide credit assistance. Submission of an application does not guarantee that EPA will award credit assistance to a given applicant. At a minimum, such applications shall provide, in addition to the information provided in the letter of interest:
(i) Detailed applicant information;
(ii) Detailed project information;
(iii) Detailed project operation and maintenance plan;
(iv) Comprehensive financing plan; and
(v) Complete certifications.
(d) Following successful submission and approval by EPA of the application, EPA will offer the applicant a term sheet, as described in section 35.10060. The applicant may accept or negotiate terms in the term sheet.
(e) Following acceptance of the term sheet, the applicant will proceed to closing, as described in section 35.10065.
(f) An application for a project located in or sponsored by more than one entity shall be submitted to the EPA by just one entity. The sponsoring entities shall designate a single obligor for purposes of applying for, receiving, and repaying WIFIA credit assistance.
(a) Each fiscal year for which budget authority is made available by Congress, EPA shall set aside at least 15% of budget authority for projects that serve communities of not more than 25,000 individuals.
(b) Any set-aside budget authority remaining unobligated on June 1 of the fiscal year for which the budget authority is set aside shall be made available for projects other than small community projects.
All projects receiving credit assistance under this part shall comply with:
(a) Environmental authorities:
(1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.;
(2) Archeological and Historic Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 469-469c;
(3) Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.;
(4) Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.;
(5) Coastal Barrier Resources Act, 16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.;
(6) Coastal Zone Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.;
(7) Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.;
(8) Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, Executive Order 12898, 59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994;
(9) Floodplain Management, Executive Order 11988, 42 FR 26951, May 24, 1977, as amended by Executive Order 13690, 80 FR 6425, February 4, 2015;
(10) Protection of Wetlands, Executive Order 11990, 42 FR 26961, May 25, 1977, as amended by Executive Order 12608, 52 FR 34617, September 14, 1987;
(11) Farmland Protection Policy Act, 7 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.;
(12) Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661-666c, as amended;
(13) Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.;
(14) National Historic Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.;
(15) Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.; and
(16) Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.
(b) Economic and miscellaneous authorities:
(1) Debarment and Suspension, Executive Order 12549, 51 FR 6370, February 21, 1986;
(2) Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act, 42 U.S.C. 3301 et seq., as amended, and Executive Order 12372, 47 FR 30959, July 16, 1982;
(3) Drug-Free Workplace Act, 41 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.;
(4) New Restrictions on Lobbying, 31 U.S.C. 1352;
(5) Prohibitions relating to violations of the Clean Water Act or Clean Air Act with respect to Federal contracts, grants, or loans under 42 U.S.C. 7606 and 33 U.S.C. 1368, and Executive Order 11738, 38 FR 25161, September 12, 1973; and
(6) The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, 42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.
(c) Civil Rights, Nondiscrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Authorities:
(1) Age Discrimination Act, 42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.;
(2) Equal Employment Opportunity, Executive Order 11246, 30 FR 12319, September 28, 1965;
(3) Section 13 of the Clean Water Act, Pub. L. 92-500, codified in 42 U.S.C. 1251;
(4) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 794, supplemented by Executive Orders 11914, 41 FR 17871, April 29, 1976 and 11250, 30 FR 13003, October 13, 1965;
(5) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.; and
(6) Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Procurement under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Financial Assistance Agreements, 73 FR 15904.
(d) Other Federal and compliance requirements as may be applicable.
(a) In making WIFIA funding decisions under this rule, EPA will follow the requirements of Executive Orders 11988 and 13690, the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, and the Guidelines for Implementing Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management, and Executive Order 13690, Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input (Guidelines). Applicants shall submit information regarding the project that is sufficient for EPA to determine that the project is in compliance with the standards and requirements of these Executive Orders and Guidelines.
(b) Projects funded under the WIFIA program implemented through this rule must also demonstrate that they will meet or exceed applicable State, local, Tribal, and Territorial standards for flood risk and floodplain management.
(c) As a condition of funding projects involving new construction, substantial improvement, or to address substantial damage to structures and facilities, the project sponsor must demonstrate to EPA that it will use the expanded floodplain standard described in E.O. 13690. Projects involving substantial improvement or addressing substantial damage include projects equaling or exceeding 50 percent of the value of the structure or facility. With regard to projects meeting this definition, the project applicant shall determine whether the proposed project will occur in the floodplain using any of the approaches provided in section 6(c) of Executive Order 11988, as amended. Applicants for proposed projects that are not new construction, substantial improvement, or projects to address substantial damage shall use at minimum, the base 100-year floodplain standard for actions that are not “critical actions” as defined in Executive Order 11988 Section 6(d) and the 0.2%-annual chance floodplain for critical actions.
(d) For purposes of this section, projects funded under WIFIA will be considered Critical Actions as defined in Executive Order 11988, as amended, unless the Administrator determines and provides written notice to the applicant that the particular project is not considered to be a Critical Action.
(e) All applicants shall follow the Guidelines, including the Eight-Step Decision-Making Process described in the Guidelines, as a means of compliance with the requirements of section 2(a) of Executive Order 11988, as amended. EPA shall provide oversight to ensure that project applicants have complied with this process.
(f) The Administrator will not allow WIFIA funding for new construction, substantial improvement, or to address substantial damage to structures and facilities sited in or encroaching on a Floodway or a Coastal High Hazard Area/V-Zone, except for a functionally dependent use or to facilitate an open space use. The Administrator will make the determination of whether a proposed project is a functionally dependent use or a structure that facilitates an open space use. In addition to compliance with paragrpahs (a) through (e) of this section, applicants for projects sited in these zones must include engineering plans demonstrating that the facility will be accessible and operational to the elevation of the applicable level, including elevation or floodproofing of buildings, electronics, and mechanical components.
(a) All projects receiving credit assistance under this part for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a project shall use only iron and steel products produced in the United States.
(b) By statute, at 33 U.S.C. 3914(b), “iron and steel products” means the following products made primarily of iron or steel: Lined or unlined pipes and fittings, manhole covers and other municipal castings, hydrants, tanks, flanges, pipe clamps and restraints, valves, structural steel, reinforced precast concrete, and construction materials. Equipment employed in construction but does not become part of the project is not an “iron and steel product” for purpose of this section.
(c) EPA may issue a waiver for a case or category of cases where EPA finds:
(1) That applying these requirements would be inconsistent with the public interest;
(2) Iron and steel products are not produced in the US in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality; or
(3) Inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the US will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%.
(d) All guidance developed for compliance with American Iron and Steel requirements for EPA's State Revolving Fund programs shall apply to projects receiving credit assistance under this part. Such guidance can be found on EPA's Web site.
(e) All national waivers issued by EPA in accordance with section 436(b) of Pub. L. 113-76, 128 Stat. 346, 2014, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, shall apply to projects receiving credit assistance under this part in the same manner as they apply to projects receiving assistance under the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs, unless such waiver addresses the timing of the submission of engineering plans and specifications as the submission relates to Congressional appropriations for either the Clean Water or Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs.
All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors on projects receiving credit assistance under this part shall be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing for the same type of work on similar construction in the immediate locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor.
(a) At the time a project sponsor submits an application, the EPA shall require a preliminary rating opinion letter. This letter is a conditional credit assessment from a NRSRO that provides a preliminary indication of the project's overall creditworthiness and that specifically addresses the potential of the project's senior debt obligations (those obligations having a lien senior to that of the WIFIA credit instrument on the pledged security) to achieve an investment-grade rating and the default risk of the WIFIA loan.
(b) The full funding of a secured (direct) loan or loan guarantee shall be contingent on the assignment of an investment-grade rating by two NRSROs to all project obligations that have a lien senior to that of the Federal credit instrument on the pledged security along with commentary on the default risk of the WIFIA loan.
(c) Neither the preliminary rating opinion letter nor the formal credit ratings should reflect the effect of bond insurance, unless that insurance provides credit enhancement that secures the WIFIA obligation.
(a) To be eligible to receive Federal credit assistance under this part, a project shall meet the following six threshold criteria:
(1) The project and obligor shall be creditworthy;
(2) The project sponsor shall submit a project application to the Administrator;
(3) A project shall have eligible project costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $20 million, or for a project eligible under paragraphs (2) or (3) of 33 U.S.C. 3905 serving a community of not more than 25,000 individuals, project costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $5 million;
(4) Project financing shall be repayable, in whole or in part, from State or local taxes, user fees, or other dedicated revenue sources that also secure the senior project obligations of the project; shall include a rate covenant, coverage requirement, or similar security feature supporting the project obligations; and may have a lien on revenues subject to any lien securing project obligations;
(5) In the case of a project that is undertaken by an entity that is not a State or local government or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, or a tribal government or consortium of tribal governments, the project that the entity is undertaking shall be publicly sponsored.
(6) The applicant shall have developed an operations and maintenance plan that identifies adequate revenues to operate, maintain, and repair the project during its useful life.
(b) With respect to paragraph (a)(4) of this section, the Administrator may accept general obligation pledges or general corporate promissory pledges and will determine the acceptability of other pledges and forms of collateral as dedicated revenue sources on a case-by-case basis. The Administrator shall not accept a pledge of Federal funds, regardless of source, as security for the WIFIA credit instrument.
(a) Within 30 days of receipt of an application for a project eligible under 33 U.S.C. 3905(2) or (3), EPA shall notify the State infrastructure financing authority in the State in which the applicant's project is located that such an application has been received.
(b) EPA may not provide assistance under this chapter if within 60 days of receipt of a notification described in paragraph (a) of this section, the State infrastructure financing authority notifies EPA that it intends to commit funds in an amount equal to or greater than the amount requested in the application to the applicant for the project, as evidenced by an amendment to the State revolving fund program's intended use plan described in §35.3150 or §35.3555 unless:
(1) By the date 180 days after receipt of the notification described in paragraph (a) of this section, the State infrastructure financing authority fails to enter into an assistance agreement with the applicant; or
(2) The financial assistance to be provided by the State infrastructure authority will be at rates and terms that are less favorable than the rates and terms of the assistance agreement to be provided under this chapter.
(a) The Administrator shall assign weights to selection criteria in the first Notice of Funding Availability published in accordance with section 4(a), and adjusted weights in future Notices of Funding Availability to address changing circumstances and priorities. The following thirteen selection criteria will be used for evaluating and selecting among eligible projects to receive credit assistance:
(1) The extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant, with respect to the generation of economic and public health benefits;
(2) The likelihood that assistance under this subtitle would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than the project would otherwise be able to proceed;
(3) The extent to which the project uses new or innovative approaches such as the use of energy efficient parts and systems, or the use of renewable or alternate sources of energy; green infrastructure; and the development of alternate sources of drinking water through desalination, aquifer recharge or water recycling;
(4) The extent to which the project protects against extreme weather events, such as floods or hurricanes, as well as the impacts of climate change;
(5) The extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment or public health;
(6) The extent to which a project serves regions with significant energy exploration, development, or production areas;
(7) The extent to which a project serves regions with significant water resource challenges, including the need to address water quality concerns in areas of regional, national, or international significance; water quantity concerns related to groundwater, surface water, or other resources; significant flood risk; water resource challenges identified in existing regional, state, or multistate agreements; and water resources with exceptional recreational value or ecological importance;
(8) The extent to which the project addresses identified municipal, state, or regional priorities;
(9) The readiness of the project to proceed toward development, including a demonstration by the obligor that there is a reasonable expectation that the contracting process for construction of the project can commence by not later than 90 days after the date on which a Federal credit instrument is obligated for the project under this subtitle; and
(10) The extent to which the project financing plan includes public or private financing in addition to assistance under this subtitle;
(11) The extent to which assistance under this subtitle reduces the contribution of Federal assistance to the project;
(12) The extent to which the project addresses needs for repair, rehabilitation or replacement of a treatment works, community water system, or aging water distribution or wastewater collection system; and
(13) The extent to which the project serves economically stressed communities, or pockets of economically stressed rate payers within otherwise non-economically stressed communities.
(b) The Administrator may include additional weighted criteria in the Notice of Funding Availability to address changing circumstances and priorities.
(c) In addition, 33 U.S.C. 3907(a)(1)(D)(i) conditions a project's approval for credit assistance on receipt of a preliminary rating opinion letter indicating that the project's senior debt obligations have the potential to attain an investment-grade rating.
(a) EPA, after review and evaluation of the application, and all other required documents submitted by the applicant, may offer to an applicant a written Term Sheet signed by the Administrator, including detailed terms and conditions that must be met. The issuance of this Term Sheet represents approval of the application for credit assistance.
(b) To proceed to closing, the applicant must sign the Term Sheet before the expiration date on which the terms offered will expire unless the Administrator agrees in writing to extend the expiration date.
(a) Subsequent to the signing of the Term Sheet by the applicant, EPA will set a closing date for execution of a credit agreement, and provide documents articulating the conditions precedent to closing to the applicant.
(b) By the closing date, the applicant must have satisfied all of the detailed terms and conditions required by EPA and all other contractual, statutory, and regulatory requirements. If the applicant has not satisfied all such terms and conditions by the closing date, the Administrator may set a new closing date or rescind the approval of the application.
(c) If at any point following the issuance of the Term Sheet by EPA and prior to the closing date, the terms and conditions of the financing arrangements or the financial status of the obligor change in a material manner from the information used to evaluate the application, the applicant must notify EPA within the time period specified by the Administrator, at which point the Administrator may update the Term Sheet accordingly or rescind the approval of the application.
(d) The Credit Agreement and related documents will include detailed definitions, terms, and conditions necessary and appropriate to protect the interest of the United States over the life of the credit assistance and in the case of default, and will be executed at closing only after EPA has ensured that all requirements and conditions articulated in this rule, the statute, and other relevant laws and regulations have been satisfied.
(a) Only a credit agreement executed by the Administrator can contractually obligate EPA to provide assistance under WIFIA.
(b) EPA is not bound by oral representations made during the letter of interest step, or application step, or during any negotiation process.
(c) Except if explicitly authorized by an Act of Congress, no Federal funds, proceeds of Federal loans, or proceeds of loans guaranteed by the Federal Government, may be used by a borrower to pay for credit subsidy costs, administrative fees, or other fees charged by or paid to EPA relating to the WIFIA program.
(d) Prior to the execution by EPA of a credit agreement, EPA must ensure that the following requirements and conditions are satisfied:
(1) The project qualifies as an eligible project under WIFIA;
(2) The face value of the credit agreement is limited to no more than 49 percent of total eligible project costs, or if credit assistance in excess of 49% has been approved, no more than the percentage of eligible project costs agreed upon, not to exceed 80% of eligible project costs;
(3) The applicant is obligated to make full repayment of the principal and interest on the credit instrument over a period of up to the lesser of 35 years or the useful life of the project, after substantial completion; however, the final maturity date of a secured loan to a State infrastructure financing authority will be not later than 35 years after the date on which amounts are first disbursed.
(4) If the credit instrument is a loan guarantee, the loan guarantee does not finance, either directly or indirectly, tax-exempt debt obligations, consistent with the requirements of section 149(b) of the Internal Revenue Code;
(5) The amount of the credit agreement, when combined with other funds committed to the project, will be sufficient to carry out the project, including adequate contingency funds;
(6) The applicant has pledged project assets and other collateral or surety, including non-project-related assets, determined by EPA to be necessary to secure the repayment of the credit agreement;
(7) The credit agreement and related documents include detailed terms and conditions necessary and appropriate to protect the interest of the United States in the case of default;
(8) The credit agreement is not subordinate to any loan or other debt obligation in the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation of the obligor of the project;
(9) There is satisfactory evidence that the applicant is willing, competent, and capable of performing the terms and conditions of the credit agreement, and will diligently pursue the project;
(10) The applicant has taken and is obligated to continue to take those actions necessary to perfect and maintain liens on assets which are pledged as security for the credit agreement;
(11) EPA or its representatives have access to the project site at all reasonable times in order to monitor the performance of the project;
(12) EPA and the applicant have reached an agreement as to the information that will be made available to EPA and the information that will be made publicly available;
(13) The applicant has filed applications for or obtained any required regulatory approvals for the project and is in compliance, or promptly will be in compliance, where appropriate, with all Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements;
(14) The applicant has no delinquent federal debt, including tax liabilities, unless the delinquency has been resolved with the appropriate federal agency in accordance with the standards of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996;
(15) The credit agreement and related agreements contain such other terms and conditions as EPA deems reasonable and necessary to protect the interests of the United States, including without limitation provisions for (i) such collateral and other credit support for the credit agreement, and (ii) such collateral sharing, priorities and voting rights among creditors and other intercreditor arrangements as, in each case, EPA deems reasonable and necessary to protect the interests of the United States; and
(e) The credit agreement must contain audit provisions which provide, in substance, as follows:
(1) The applicant must keep such records concerning the project as are necessary to facilitate an effective and accurate audit and performance evaluation of the project; and
(2) EPA and the Inspector General, or their duly authorized representatives, must have access, for the purpose of audit and examination, to any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the applicant. Examination of records may be made during the regular business hours of the applicant, or at any other time mutually convenient.
At a minimum, any recipient of Federal credit assistance under this part shall submit an annual project performance report and audited financial statements to EPA within no more than 180 days following the recipient's fiscal year-end for each year during which the recipient's obligation to the Federal Government remains in effect. EPA may conduct periodic financial and compliance audits of the recipient of credit assistance, as determined necessary by EPA. The specific credit agreement between the recipient of credit assistance and EPA may contain additional reporting requirements.
(a) Application fee. EPA will require a non-refundable application fee for each project applying for credit assistance under the WIFIA program. An application fee will be due upon submission of the complete application. For applications for projects serving small communities (population of not more than 25,000 people), this application fee will be $25,000. For all other applications, this application fee will be $100,000. The initial application fee will be credited to the credit processing fee required under paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) Adjustment of application fee. For each application and approval cycle, EPA may adjust the amount of the application fee described in paragraph (a) of this section based on program implementation experience and cost expectations. EPA will publish this amount in each Federal Register solicitation for letters of interest.
(c) Credit processing fee. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f) of this section, EPA will require an additional credit processing fee for projects selected to receive WIFIA assistance upon closing, or in the event that the project does not proceed to closing, e.g., if the application is withdrawn or denied. The proceeds of any such fees will be used to pay the remaining portion of the Agency's cost of providing credit assistance and the costs of retaining expert firms, including financial, engineering, and legal services, in the field of municipal and project finance, to assist in the underwriting of the Federal credit instrument. All of, or a portion of, this fee may be waived.
(d) Servicing fee. EPA will require borrowers to pay a servicing fee for each credit instrument approved for funding. Separate fees may apply for each type of credit instrument (e.g., a loan guarantee, a secured loan with a single disbursement, or a secured loan with multiple disbursements), depending on the costs of servicing the credit instrument as determined by the Administrator. Such fees will be set at a level sufficient to enable the EPA to recover all or a portion of the costs to the Federal Government of servicing WIFIA credit instruments.
(e) Optional supplemental fee. If, in any given year, there is insufficient budget authority to fund the credit instrument for a qualified project that has been selected to receive assistance under WIFIA, EPA and the approved applicant may agree upon a supplemental fee to be paid by or on behalf of the approved applicant at the time of execution of the term sheet to reduce the subsidy cost of that project. No such fee may be included among eligible project costs.
(f) Reduced fees. To the extent that Congress appropriates funds in any given year beyond those sufficient to cover internal administrative costs, EPA may utilize such appropriated funds to reduce fees that would otherwise be charged under paragraph (c) of this section.
(g) Extraordinary expenses. EPA may require payment in full by the borrower of additional fees, in an amount determined by EPA, and of related fees and expenses of its independent consultants and outside counsel, to the extent that such fees and expenses are incurred directly by EPA and to the extent such third parties are not paid directly by the borrower, in the event that a borrower experiences difficulty relating to technical, financial, or legal matters or other events (e.g., engineering failure or financial workouts) which require EPA to incur time or expenses beyond standard monitoring.
[82 FR 29245, June 28, 2017]