EPA's 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment
EPA's 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) assesses the nation’s public water systems’ infrastructure needs over the next 20 years and is used to allocate Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) grants, including Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, to states. The survey determined that drinking water systems will need $625 billion for pipe replacement, treatment plant upgrades, storage tanks, and other key assets to ensure the public health, security, and economic well-being of our cities, towns, and communities.
The 7th DWINSA also estimates that that needs of existing tribal drinking water infrastructure exceed $4 billion over the next 20 years and the survey results are used to allocate funds for tribes under the Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG-TSA). The survey is comprised of infrastructure needs that are DWIG-TSA eligible, and include the installation of new drinking water infrastructure and the rehabilitation, expansion, or replacement of existing infrastructure.
- Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment: 7th Report to Congress (pdf)
- DWINSA: 7th Report to Congress Addendum - 2023 Update Lead Service Line Information (pdf)
- 2023 Allotments for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund based on the Seventh Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment
- Fact Sheet: 7th DWINSA
- FAQ: 7th DWINSA
7th DWINSA Lead Service Line Information
In accordance with Section 1452(h) of the Safe Drinking Water Act, for the first time, the 7th DWINSA included a survey on lead service lines.
The EPA recognized that states and communities continue to make progress on identifying lead services lines. To account for this rapidly developing data, the EPA provided states an opportunity to adjust their reported service line data in 2023. The updated information is used in distribution of DWSRF Bipartisan Infrastructure Law lead service line funding to states in 2024. Based on the updated data collected, the EPA projects a national total of 9.0 million lead services lines across the country.
Water systems and states have been working hard to identify the location and materials of their service lines and information on lead service lines has continued to evolve since the initial estimates of lead service line counts. The EPA’s 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions required water systems to develop a lead service line inventory, which were submitted to states at the end of 2024.
- Fact Sheet: 2023 Update to the 7th DWINSA Lead Service Line Questionnaire (pdf)
- Fact Sheet: Updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey & Assessment (pdf)
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Approach for FY 2025 and FY2026 BIL LSLR Allotments: To use the best available information to allot FY 2025 and 2026 BIL LSLR funds, the EPA is updating its approach under the 7th DWINSA to estimate lead service line-specific need by incorporating the LCRR initial inventory state summary counts into the 7th DWINSA. FY 2025 and FY 2026 BIL LSLR Allotments Memo (pdf)
DWINSA Data and Dashboards
EPA’s 7th DWINSA results show that improvements are primarily needed in:
- Distribution and transmission: $422.9 billion to replace or rehabilitate aging or deteriorating pipelines and appurtenances.
- Treatment: $107 billion to construct, expand or rehabilitate infrastructure to reduce contamination.
- Storage: $56.1 billion to construct, rehabilitate or cover water storage reservoirs.
- Source: $25.2 billion to construct or rehabilitate intake structures and wells, or purchase water rights.
Data Download:
- 7th DWINSA Total Need (xlsx)
- 7th DWINSA Consolidated System Level Traditional Needs Data (xlsx)
- Updated 7th DWINSA State Level Service Lines (xlsx)
- Updated 7th DWINSA System Level Service Lines (xlsx)