EPA last week announced updated allotments that will guide the distribution of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) dollars to states for fiscal years 2014 through 2017. The new allotments reflect the results of EPA’s most recent Drinking Water Needs Survey, which was released on June 3 and found the nation’s drinking water systems will require approximately $384 billion in infrastructure investments over the next 20 years just to maintain current levels of service.
While every state and the District of Columbia are guaranteed at least one percent of total DWSRF funding each year, EPA uses the needs survey results to steer additional funding to states with greater documented water infrastructure needs. The allotments are adjusted every four years based on the results of the latest needs survey and will be official when published in the Federal Register.
In addition to the updated allotments, EPA’s document also reports the actual dollar amount of DWSRF assistance that each state would receive next year under President Obama’s proposed FY14 DWSRF funding level of $817 million. These figures are tentative, however, and could rise if members of Congress direct additional FY14 funding to the DWSRF beyond the President’s request.