Shutdown Day 14

Today (Friday, 1/4), marks Day 14 of the partial federal government shutdown. Like the stock market, predicting how long this shutdown might last is somewhere between difficult and impossible. Both sides have dug in, so the shutdown is likely to last for a bit. Thursday’s funding vote in the House is more symbolic than anything and doesn’t move both sides closer to a deal.

So far, the shutdown has had minimal effect on states’ drinking water programs, other than not being able to have conversations with EPA headquarters and the Regions. Funding for the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) has not been impacted and states received guidance on assistance agreements on December 31st from EPA. Funding from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program is on hold, as WIFIA is directly implemented by EPA and no WIFIA work on applications and/or loans is being conducted during the shutdown. But states are continuing to provide regulatory oversight and technical assistance to water systems across the country.