Funding Sources for Drinking Water Systems in Wyoming and on Tribal Lands in EPA Region 8
Managers of publicly owned drinking water systems in Wyoming or on Tribal Lands located in EPA Region 8 may use a variety of funding sources to support the costs of construction, operation and maintenance, lab testing, and employment. Sources include hook up fees and usage billings, municipal bonds, and state funding through mechanisms such as revolving fund loans. This page describes funding through the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and Tribal federal funding options.
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Wyoming State Revolving Funds Program
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, established the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to make funds available to drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. If you are affiliated with a Wyoming publicly-owned water supply system, you are eligible to apply to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WYDEQ) for revolving fund loans.
Applicants eligible to apply to the Wyoming Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program are state agencies, counties, municipalities, joint powers boards, and other entities constituting a political subdivision under the laws of the state (such as water improvement districts).
Eligible projects include most drinking water source, treatment, transmission, storage, and distribution projects for a public water system or that create a new public water system.
WYDEQ ranks projects using its priority ranking system, which is based on public health issues, compliance issues, system deficiencies, and affordability criteria. Projects are then listed according to their priority ranking in the current Wyoming DWSRF Intended Use Plan(IUP). The DWSRF IUP is updated once annually in the fall.
More information can be found at the Wyoming Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) webpage. Opportunities to apply are announced annually.
Tribal Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants
EPA Region 8 has established regional grant programs for utilization of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds to provide direct grant opportunities to improve public water system infrastructure serving Tribal communities. Programs available for direct grants are the 1) Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG-TSA) Emerging Contaminants Program, the 2) DWIG-TSA Lead Service Line Replacement Program and the 3) Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Tribal Grant Program. Selected projects will be funded with a direct grant agreement between the EPA and the eligible entity. The regional implementation document for these programs can be found at: DWIGTSA-ECSDC Implementation Manual (pdf)
TIMELINE
July 15, 2024 - Deadline for project proposals - Project proposals should include all required contents as outlined in Section XIII of the Region 8 DWIGTSA – ECSDC Implementation Manual along with applicable supporting documents. Proposals received after July 15, 2024, may not be considered for funding this cycle.
Submit electronic copy of the proposal and supporting documentation via e-mail with the subject line Tribal Water BIL Grant Proposal to:
Benjamin Bents, bents.benjamin@epa.gov; and
Rachel Walters, walters.rachel@epa.gov
September 2024 - EPA will notify each applicant of whether the project is selected to continue with the application process.
November 2024 - Selected applicants submit grant application(s) via Grants.gov.
January – February 2025 - EPA awards funds for selected projects.
Tribes requesting that the Indian Health Service (IHS) administer a project on their behalf must work with their IHS office for project inclusion on the Sanitation Deficiency System (SDS) list.
Other Tribal funding from the annual DWIG-TSA Base and BIL General Supplemental programs will continue to fund projects from the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System list through Interagency Agreements between the EPA and the IHS.
Further information about the DWIG-TSA program can be found at: Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set-Aside Program.
Further information about the EC-SDC Tribal program can be found at: Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Tribal Grant Program.
If you have any questions, please contact one of the individuals listed at the following location: Regional Tribal Drinking Water Coordinators - Region 8