Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Implementation
Laws and Regulations
- Title VI of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S. Code §1383)
The CWSRF was established by Title VI of the 1987 amendments to the CWA.
- CWSRF Regulations (40 CFR Part 35.31) (PDF)(13 pp, 184 K, About PDF)
In 1990, EPA issued regulations to supplement Title VI of the CWA by codifying all major requirements applicable to the CWSRF program.
- Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) (P.L. 113-121) (PDF)(182 pp, 481 K, About PDF)
In 2014, WRRDA amended Titles I, II, V, and VI of the CWA. The amendments made significant changes to the program, including:- expanding eligibility categories for CWSRF assistance;
- requiring loan recipients to prepare fiscal sustainability plans;
- using additional loan subsidies;
- developing affordability criteria; and
- increasing loan maturities to the lesser of 30 years or design life.
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Class Deviation from Provisions of 40 CFR Part 35.3125(b)(1) (pdf)
Memorandum approving a class deviation to CWSRF regulations allowing the use of certain state CWSRF monies for providing local match for special projects authorized by Appropriations Acts. -
Approval of Class Exception from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Cash Draw Rules (pdf)
Memorandum approving a permanent regulatory exception that eliminates the requirement for states to draw SRF disbursement requests at a proportional federal to state ratio and eliminates the cap on federal funds that can be drawn for refinance projects in the first eight quarters after EPA awards a capitalization grant to the state.
Policy and Guidance
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Frequent Questions about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law State Revolving Funds (pdf)
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Memorandum of Understanding Between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes a framework for the EPA funded Clean Water SRF and Drinking Water SRF programs to assist and collaborate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance grant programs. The SRFs have worked cooperatively with FEMA and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to allow local entities to quickly recover and restore their vital infrastructure after a Presidentially-declared major disaster. The proposed activities in this MOU are intended to streamline coordination between FEMA and the SRFs to enable funding to support essential infrastructure projects to be made available as quickly as possible. -
Emerging Contaminants
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriates $1 billion over five years (FY2022 – FY2026) to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund specifically to address emerging contaminants, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater, stormwater, and nonpoint source pollution. -
SRF Fund Management Handbook
The purpose of the Handbook is to guide EPA and state SRF managers through the process of strategic fund management by putting the major financial topics concerning the SRF programs together in a single place. The revised document provides an in depth analysis of how to measure the financial health of the SRF programs, spotlighting potential risks, and methods to avoid those pitfalls. -
Overview of CWSRF Eligibilities
This is a technical support reference, which looks at the many projects eligible to receive assistance from the CWSRF program. -
Financing Options for Nontraditional Eligibilities in the CWSRF
This is a technical support reference, which looks at the varied types of financial assistance available to the CWSRF programs that can be deployed to fund eligibilities that do not fall within the mainstream of traditional grey infrastructure. -
Enhancing Public Awareness of SRF Assistance Agreements
These guidelines inform states of an agency-wide initiative focused on signage to enhance public awareness of EPA assistance agreements nationwide and how to implement the directive in the CWSRF and DWSRF programs. -
Green Infrastructure Policy for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program
This memorandum establishes a Green Infrastructure Policy that promotes increased CWSRF financing of green infrastructure projects nationally. See also, Financing Green Infrastructure: A Best Practices Guide for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. - Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) Guidance
This document is EPA's guidance for implementing WRRDA requirements that apply to the CWSRF program.
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America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) Questions and Answers
This document provides questions and answers on the new CWSRF eligibility (CWA Section 603(c)(12)) that was added by AWIA. -
Green Project Reserve (GPR)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and subsequent annual appropriations require all CWSRF programs to use a portion of their federal grant for projects that address green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency, or other environmentally innovative activities. -
American Iron and Steel (AIS) Requirements
WRRDA requires CWSRF assistance recipients to use iron and steel products produced in the United States for projects for constructing, altering, maintaining, or repairing public water systems or wastewater treatment works. -
CWSRF Reporting Requirements Memorandum
The Interior Department and Further Continuing Appropriations, FY 2010 (P.L. 111-88) included a grant condition requiring recipients of CWSRF funds to report how they use the assistance they receive. This memorandum discusses how recipients must submit information to EPA’s CWSRF benefits reporting system at least quarterly. - Guidance on Fees Charged by States to Recipients of CWSRF Program Assistance (PDF) (6 pp, 67 K, About PDF)
This guidance describes how states may use money collected from fees charged to recipients of CWSRF assistance.- The following changes to the fee guidance were implemented after the guidance was published in the Code of Federal Regulations: If program income generated through fees is added to the fund and used for administration, those fees are not considered part of the limit on administrative costs.
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Transfer and Cross-Collateralization of CWSRF and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) (PDF) (6 pp, 140 K, About PDF)
This policy identifies the process for states to obtain EPA approval for transfers and cross-collateralization of funds between the CWSRF and DWSRF programs. -
Procedures for Implementing Environmental Federal Cross-Cutting Authorities in the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Programs
This memorandum clarifies procedures for applying federal environmental cross-cutting authorities to projects and activities receiving assistance under the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.
Annual Allotment of Federal Funds
- FY 2025 Allotments for the State Revolving Fund Provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (pdf)
- FY 2024 Allotments for the State Revolving Fund Provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Base Program Funding (pdf)
- Each year Congress appropriates funds for the CWSRF program.
- CWSRF annual allotments tables show the amount of federal funds received by, or allotted to, each state.
- Reallotment of Fiscal Year 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Clean Water State Revolving Fund Emerging Contaminants Funds (pdf) (November 2023)
- Memorandum: FY 2023 Procedures and Allotments for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (pdf) (February 2023)
- Memorandum: Implementation of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (March 2022)