Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Programs

• Purpose
• Descriptions
• What Is an Emerging Contaminant in Drinking Water?
• Funding
• How Do I apply for Funding?
• Project Award Timeline
• Documents

Purpose

To assist federally recognized Tribes within EPA's Pacific Southwest Region (Region 9) address emerging contaminants in drinking water.

Program Descriptions

EPA supports two Tribal Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Grant programs:

• Drinking Water Tribal Set-Aside Emerging Contaminants (DWTSA-EC)
  Projects must be otherwise DWTSA eligible, and the primary purpose must be to address emerging contaminants in drinking water, and;
• Emerging Contaminants (EC) in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (SDC)–
  The EC-SDC Tribal Grant Program funds projects and activities that address emerging contaminants in drinking water systems serving small Tribal communities. Tribes are eligible to receive funding if the community population is less than 10,000 individuals.

What Is an Emerging Contaminant in Drinking Water?

Projects that address any contaminant listed on any of EPA’s Contaminant Candidate Lists (CCL) are eligible. The CCLs are developed under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to identify priority contaminants for future regulatory determinations. CCLs are a list of contaminants that are currently not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulations but are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. Contaminants listed on the CCLs may require future regulation under the SDWA. You can find more information about current CCLs and EPA’s regulatory determination process at Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) and Regulatory Determination.

If EPA has promulgated a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for a contaminant, then a project whose primary purpose is to address that contaminant is not eligible for funding under these grant programs, with the PFAS exception; EPA determined that PFAS focused projects are eligible and prioritized for emerging contaminant funding regardless of whether EPA has established a NPDWR for that PFAS or group of PFAS. All PFAS analytes are eligible to receive Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Funding.

Region 9 supports a voluntary PFAS sampling program for all public water systems on Tribal land in the region. If your water system has not yet sampled for PFAS in drinking water, we encourage you to request sampling assistance through that program first. More information about the Tribal PFAS sampling program can be found at Pacific Southwest PFAS Tribal Drinking Water Sampling Project.

Eligible Activities

Examples of eligible planning activities include:

• Performing sampling and analysis to identify baseline concentration for the contaminant(s) of concern.
• Technical assistance including the development of Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP) for sampling activities
• Development of a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER)
• Preparation of bid and design documents to support emerging contaminant projects.
• Development of outreach materials to inform consumers about emerging contaminant(s) concern.

Examples of eligible construction activities include:

• Installation of a water treatment system to remove an emerging contaminant. Example technologies include anion exchange, green-sand filtration, reverse osmosis, and granular activated carbon (GAC).
• Consolidation with another public water system.
• Identification of a new water source

Water System Eligibility Requirements:

Only federally recognized Indian Tribes within EPA Region 9 may submit proposals that benefit eligible public water systems (PWS). PWS eligibility is limited as follows:

• Only public water systems that are community water systems or non-profit, non-community water systems are eligible to receive funding;
• The water system must serve an Indian Tribe;
• The water system must be in compliance with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations unless the project which is being funded will ensure compliance;
• The water system must be operated by adequately trained and certified operators; and
• The water system utility must have or be able to develop the technical, financial and managerial capacity to properly maintain the water system.

Funding

Approximately $14 million in FY26 funds may be available to support eligible projects under these programs. DWTSA-EC funding will be awarded under Section 300j-12 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. §1452. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 66.468. Funding for the EC-SDC program will be awarded under the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (SDWA 1459A), as amended by the Investment Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2 C.F.R. §200.205. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 66.442.

Tribes may request that projects be awarded as a direct grant to a Tribe, an interagency agreement with the Indian Health Service (IHS), or for certain project scopes, as EPA-directed in-kind assistance through a contractor. Tribes will submit one project proposal that will indicate the community’s preference between the contractor-directed technical assistance, interagency agreements, and a direct grant. A Tribe may select a hybrid approach, where some tasks are completed by a contractor, and others are completed through a grant award or interagency agreement. EPA will work with the Tribe to select the appropriate funding vehicle based on the project scope.

Contractor-Directed Technical Support

EPA-directed contract provides in-kind services to complete planning projects that address emerging contaminants in drinking water systems. Examples of activities that the contractor can support include the development of a preliminary engineering report, benchmark sampling to establish a baseline of contamination, technical assistance that supports project development, construction oversight and management, and training for water system staff. The contract cannot support actual construction costs.

Interagency Agreements with the Indian Health Service

Interagency Agreements (IAs) with the Indian Health Service (IHS) provide support for a broad scope of planning, design and construction projects addressing emerging contaminants. The IHS handles the administrative requirements of the project, including the development of a work plan and budget, and all quarterly and final reporting requirements. The Tribe will enter into a memorandum of agreement with the IHS that delineates the project scope and responsibilities.

Direct Grants

Funding can be awarded through a direct grant to the Tribe for both planning and construction projects. Tribes must submit a complete application, including a workplan and budget. Tribes must also meet all administrative requirements of the grant, including submitting project deliverables (e.g., technical specifications, a completed PER) and quarterly and final reports to EPA.

How Do I apply for Funding?

To be considered for the FY26 funding cycle, EPA must receive construction project proposals by December 6, 2025. Planning projects will be accepted on a rolling basis.

All Project Proposal Applications must include the following:

• Project Proposal Form; and
• Positive Laboratory samples for a contaminant of focus, and
• Tribal Government Endorsement.
• Documentation to Support the health category ranking

Construction Project Applications must include:

• A completed Preliminary Engineering Report (PER)

Planning Project Applications must include:

• A detailed project proposal and description of the health deficiency
• Proposed budget
• Timeline for completion

E-mail one electronic copy of the proposal and supporting documentation to:

Katie Velazquez, velazquez.katie@epa.gov and Sara McGillewie, mcgillewie.sara@epa.gov

Electronic files exceeding 8MB must be separated into emails not exceeding 8MB each. If you have difficulty submitting electronic documentation, contact Katie Velazquez and Sara McGillewie.

Project Award Timeline

EPA will accept and review planning project proposals applications on a rolling basis. EPA will notify applicants of final ranking and funding decision 6-8 months from the date of submission. Eligible planning projects will be evaluated in the order submitted.

Proposal Submission Steps

Step 1: Tribe Submits Proposal

Estimated Timeframe: 2 months
EPA Actions: EPA will review proposals for completeness and notify each applicant with requests for additional information

Step 2: Tribe Responds to EPA Comments

Estimated Timeframe: 1 month
EPA Actions: EPA reviews final submissions and notifies the Tribe of funding decision, along with guidance letters for projects to be funded through grants.

Step 3: Tribe submits final documents for Grant, Interagency Agreement, or In-Kind Services

Estimated Timeframe: 3 months
EPA Actions: EPA processes and awards funds for projects.

Important Dates for Construction Projects

• December 6, 2025: EPA must receive construction proposals by this date, including the proposal form, Tribal government endorsement, and preliminary engineering reports (PERs) or planning project proposals with supporting documents. Please note a Tribal endorsement for the EPA-Directed contractor option must give permission for the contractor to do the work. Construction proposals received after December 6, 2025, will not be considered for funding.
• January 2026: EPA will notify each applicant of the draft proposal priority and whether the project is selected to continue with the application process.
• March 2026: Applicants can submit comments on their draft project prioritization. For projects selected to continue with the application process, applicants must submit responses to any EPA comments and submit any additional documentation or endorsements that EPA requests.
• April-August 2026: EPA notifies applicants of the final ranking and funding decision, along with guidance letters for projects to be funded by grant.
• May-August 2026: Tribe submits grant application, or Indian Health Service submits draft Memorandum of Agreement and signed Project Summary. Exact dates will be included in funding decision notification letters.
• September 2026: EPA awards funds for selected projects.

Documents

• EPA Region 9 Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Programs FY26 Guidelines (pdf) (400.57 KB, September 18, 2025)
  EPA Pacific Southwest (Region 9) Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Programs FY26 guidelines, program description, eligibility, and project ranking criteria for federally recognized Tribes within EPA Region 9 applying for assistance to address emerging contaminants in drinking water.
• EPA Region 9 General Funding Proposal Form: Drinking Water Emerging Contaminants (xlsx)
  General funding proposal form for EPA's Pacific Southwest (Region 9) Tribal Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Programs.