Funding

WWEMA has consistently supported the development of sustainable financing mechanisms for the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, as highlighted by water industry organizations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Various factors affect capital needs and costs, including pricing, asset age, demographic changes, security and climate issues, regulatory requirements, energy and water efficiency needs, and federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.

WWEMA advocates for several initiatives, including full-cost pricing at utilities, improved water and energy efficiency, asset management plans, lifting the volume cap on private activity bonds, increased funding for drinking water and clean water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) programs, greater public-private partnerships, innovative funding mechanisms, and the removal of barriers to new technologies and costly requirements like the AIS criteria that increase product and project costs.

The EPA has launched an updated Public Portal for the State Revolving Fund (SRF) Public Portal, enabling users to access data from both the Drinking Water and Clean Water SRF programs through interactive reports, dashboards, and maps. This portal was designed to present SRF data in a user-friendly, accessible format for states, utilities, and anyone interested in where water infrastructure investments are being made.

WWEMA Actions

Additional Resources

  • Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) – 2022 Report & Data: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 17th clean water needs survey report that estimates total capital wastewater and stormwater treatment and collection needs of $30.1 billion over a 20-year period.
  • Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment – Seventh Report to Congress: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 7th national assessment of public water system infrastructure needs shows a total 20-year capital improvement need of $628 billion from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2040, for water systems to continue to provide safe drinking water to the public.
  • Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program authorized under the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014 to provide low-interest rate financing for the construction of water and wastewater infrastructure. Funded projects must be nationally or regionally significant and must be reasonably anticipated to cost no less than $20 million.
  • U.S. Water Alliance: As a U.S. Water Alliance member, WWEMA supports the concept of One Water, One Future.