State Associations Send Joint Letter on Infrastructure Funding to Congress
On Tuesday (4/13), five state water associations – ASDWA, Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA), Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities (CIFA), Environmental Council of States (ECOS), Western States Water Council (WSWC) – sent a letter to Congress (below) with recommendations to support the development of a national strategy for funding water infrastructure that protects public health and the environment. The recommendations were sent to Congressional leaders and EPA leadership. There is some likelihood of increased funding from Congress for both the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), and some of that increased funding will likely be targeted to the removals of lead service lines. Another sign of a higher possibility of increased infrastructure funding is the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Job Plan that was released on March 31st. This plan included $45 billion for the removal of all lead service lines in the country. As is typical with any legislation in Congress, there are no guarantees on how the legislative debates are going to play out for the balance of 2021.
