EPA Releases Best Practices Report for Drinking Water State Revolving Funds

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently (April 2022) released a new report on the best practices for administering Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF). This report was mandated by America’s Water Infrastructure Act’s (AWIA) 2018 amendments and required EPA to issue a report sharing best practices and examples in seven key areas:

• • Streamlining the process for applying for DWSRF assistance.
  • Programs that help borrowers complete DWSRF assistance applications.
  • Incentives for larger public water systems to help smaller public water systems with their DWSRF applications.
  • Practices to ensure that DWSRF loan funds are used to provide loans, loan guarantees, or other authorized assistance in a timely fashion.
  • Practices that support effective management of DWSRF loan funds.
  • Practices and tools to enhance financial management of DWSRF loan funds.
  • Key financial measures for evaluating DWSRF operations.

The report includes examples of these best practices from ten states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah.