The 2004 Annual Report on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund is now available on the Office of Wastewater Management website. The report highlights program activities and successes throughout the past 15 years.
Since it was created in 1988, the fund has provided low-interest loans targeting a wide range of projects in areas like wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, estuary management, and a host of projects focusing on water quality.
Congress created the CWSRF program to serve as a long-term funding source for projects that clean and protect the nation’s waters. With over $50 billion in funds available for assistance to both large and small communities, it is the largest federal funding program for wastewater infrastructure projects across the country.
Operating in all 50 states and in Puerto Rico, the CWSRF program has provided $47.9 billion to nearly 15,300 projects since its inception. In 2004 alone, the CWSRF funded $4.6 billion in high priority projects. For every dollar the federal government invests, more than two dollars is made available for environmental improvements.
Funding is typically directed to state-identified high priority projects based on several factors, including: public health protection; condition of impacted waters; and communities’ regulatory compliance status.
In 2004, EPA and state partners inaugurated a new era of performance assessment for the CWSRF. Starting in 2005, 28 states will begin using a pilot set of environmental indicators to show how their projects impact water quality and public health.
The report provides an overview of the fund, describes its financial status, economic and environmental performance, and discusses new directions for the future. You can view or download the report from EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/owmitnet/cwfinance/cwsrf/. You can also obtain copies from the EPA Water Resource Center by calling (202) 566-1729 or by sending an email to [email protected]. Refer to document number EPA-832-R-05-001.
States to Share Monitoring Funds
Every state will get additional water quality monitoring funds as a result of an EPA decision to target a $9.92 million increase in fiscal year 2005 water pollution control grants for these activities.
Each year, EPA awards funds under Section 106 of the Clean Water Act to assist states (including territories and the District of Columbia), Indian Tribes, and interstate agencies in establishing and implementing water pollution control programs. EPA will award each state an additional $172,000 in funding, while each territory and the District of Columbia will receive $86,000. The Federal Register Notice and other information about the alternative allotment formula are available at http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/altformula.htm.
Water Statistics Report Released
Each year EPA releases a Summary of Drinking Water and Ground Water Statistics. The statistics in the summary are based on data from the Safe Drinking Water Information System, which is EPA’s official record of inventory, violation, and enforcement data for public water systems.
According to the report, 90 percent of the 272 million people served by 53,000 community water systems across the country received water that met health-based drinking water standards in fiscal year 2004.
EPA is working toward a goal of having 95 percent of the population served by community water systems in compliance with health-based drinking water standards by 2008. Water systems meeting the standards do not exceed the maximum allowable levels for contaminants such as nitrate and meet treatment technique requirements that ensure protection against microbial pathogens such as Giardia and viruses.
The yearly Summaries of Drinking Water and Ground Water Statistics are available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/data/getdata.html.
