Water: Grant & Funding
Grants and Funding
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EPA provides grants to organizations that provide training, technical assistance, and tool development for water security. Beginning in 2002, for example, EPA provided counterterrorism grants to ensure that drinking water utilities receive technical assistance and training on homeland security issues, including vulnerability assessments and emergency response plans.
Periodically, EPA issues competitive grants that are announced in FedBizOpps.
Utilities seeking technical assistance and training should consult with their state drinking water program to find out what assistance their state is offering.
Please note that direct grants from EPA are not available to water utilities.
Federal Disaster Funding
Many publicly owned and operated water/wastewater utilities, and some privately owned utilities, may be eligible for a variety of federal funding programs to help with recovery or mitigation of disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, ice storms, or wild fires. The following are tools and brochures to assist water/wastewater utilities to better access federal disaster funding.
Federal Funding for Utilities - Water/Wastewater - in National Disasters
(Fed FUNDS)
Fed FUNDS is an intuitive web-based tool that provides tailored information for water and/or wastewater utilities to obtain information on federal disaster funding programs. Using Fed FUNDS, a utility can easily identify appropriate funding opportunities, gain insight on the application process, access customized forms to document costs, download successful utility applications, and contact utility funding mentors. Fed FUNDS features federal disaster funding programs from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), EPA, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Small Business Administration (SBA).
Funding-Related Brochures
- Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater Utilities in Emergencies and Disasters (PDF) (4 pp, 364K, About PDF)
This brochure provides information about the eligibility of water and wastewater utilities for disaster funds under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Public Assistance Grant Program. It also covers the Public Assistance application process and answers questions with tailored information for water and wastewater utilities.
EPA 817-F-10-009, August 2010 - Reimbursement Tips for Water Sector Emergency Response and Recovery (PDF) (2 pp, 164K, About PDF)
This brochure presents tips that drinking water and wastewater utilities can use to maximize their ability to receive reimbursement for costs associated with a disaster.
EPA 817-F-09-004, August 2009
Small Wastewater System Security Training Grants
EPA has allocated $1 million in fiscal year 2004 funding to established state environmental training centers. Please note that there are no direct grants available. As in the past two years, this funding allows state environmental training centers to continue to provide security-related on-site operator training assistance and classroom training to small wastewater utilities. Training will mainly focus on the use of vulnerability assessment tools, emergency response plan development and upgrades, and security system upgrades. If you are a small wastewater facility in need of assistance, more information is available.
Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC)
In March 2004, EPA awarded a $2 million grant to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA). This grant will help support ongoing efforts of the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC), a state-of-the-art, secure information system that is the most comprehensive and up-to-the-minute online resource that helps the intelligence community and the water sector share up-to-date threat and incident information.
Additional Financial Assistance Programs for Security Measures
- US EPA State Revolving Fund Programs
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- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
DWSRF provides funds for states to help public drinking water water systems implement security measures. - Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
CWSRF funds provides funds for states to help public wastewater treatment works implement security measures.
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
- Mitigation Grants Programs
FEMA currently has five mitigation grant programs:- the Hazards Mitigation Grant Program (HGMP),
- the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program,
- the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program,
- the Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) program,
- and the Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) program.
- USFA Grants Programs
The purpose of the program is to award one-year grants directly to fire departments of a State to enhance their abilities with respect to fire and fire-related hazards.