BOSTON – (April 4, 2023) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $62,283,000 to New Hampshire to fund essential drinking water infrastructure upgrades through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Thanks to a $6 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is increasing the investments available to rebuild the nation’s water infrastructure.
“Every community deserves access to safe, clean drinking water,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Thanks to President Biden’s historic infrastructure investments in America, we have an unprecedented opportunity to revitalize America’s drinking water systems, support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of removing 100% of lead pipes across our country, and protect communities from PFAS pollution.”
“EPA is very grateful to the Biden Administration and to the Congress for making possible the investments we are now making to upgrade drinking water infrastructure throughout New England, but especially to ensure that historically underserved communities are getting the investments and environmental protection they deserve. This funding will provide benefits for New Hampshire communities for generations to come and represents an investment in our children and grandchildren, making sure they have access to clean and healthy drinking water,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash.
“Every Granite Stater deserves access to clean drinking water,” said U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “I’m excited to see the funding Congress secured, including from the bipartisan infrastructure law, headed to our state to repair and build critical drinking water infrastructure. These once-in-a-generation investments will protect our public health and ensure underserved communities get their fair share of these benefits. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a lead negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure law, securing funding for key water infrastructure projects has always been a top priority for me.”
“Everyone deserves access to safe, clean drinking water. I am glad to see additional funding that I helped secure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law come to New Hampshire to make much-needed improvements to our state’s drinking water infrastructure, bringing us one step closer to ensuring clean drinking water for all Granite Staters,” said U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan.
“The safety and security of our state’s drinking water are essential to the well-being of our communities and families across New Hampshire,” said U.S. Congresswoman Annie Kuster. “I am thrilled to see this funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law heading to New Hampshire to help ensure every Granite Stater has access to clean drinking water.”
“Modern water infrastructure is essential to support healthy, strong, and economically vibrant communities,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “I helped secure this critical funding to allow New Hampshire to make needed investments to protect drinking water, update old infrastructure, and improve wastewater services. I look forward to seeing the impact of these investments in the Granite State and will continue working to safeguard drinking water and modernize our water infrastructure.”
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to strengthening the nation’s water infrastructure, while providing significant resources to address key challenges, including climate change, emerging contaminants like per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and cybersecurity.
The DWSRF allotments to states are based on the results of EPA’s 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA). The survey, which is required by the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act, assesses the nation’s public water systems’ infrastructure needs every four years and the findings are used to allocate DWSRF grants to states. The drinking water utilities need $625 billion in infrastructure investments over the next 20 years to ensure the nation’s public health, security, and economic well-being.
At the direction of Congress, EPA’s 7th Drinking Water Assessment, for the first time included survey questions focused on lead service lines and is projecting a national total of 9.2 million lead service lines across the country. This best available national and state-level projections of service line counts will help advance a unique opportunity to employ a separate lead service line allotment formula for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement Funding that is based on need. Almost $3 billion of the funding announced today will be provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement, taking a key step toward the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of achieving 100% lead free water systems.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing over $50 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure improvements across the country between FY 2022 and FY 2026. In its second year of implementation, $6 billion of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will be available to states, Tribes, and territories through the DWSRF. Of that funding, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest $3 billion in lead service line identification and improvement, $800 million to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and $2.2 billion in other critical drinking water system improvements. Additionally, approximately $500 million will also be available through the DWSRF annual appropriations, established by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
EPA is committed to ensuring every community has access to this historic investment and has centralized increasing investment in disadvantaged communities within its implementation. The implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law calls for strong collaboration, and EPA continues to work in partnership with states, Tribes, and territories to ensure that communities see the full benefits of this investment. In addition, EPA is strengthening its water technical assistance programs to support communities in assessing their water needs and apply for their fair share of this historic investment.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
More information, including state-by-state allocation of 2023 funding and information on the DWINSA.
More information on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Background
The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments mandated that EPA conduct an assessment of the nation’s public water systems’ infrastructure needs every four years and use the findings to allocate DWSRF capitalization grants to states.
The DWSRFs have been the foundation of water infrastructure investment for more than 25 years, providing low-cost financing for local projects across America. Since its inception, states have provided almost $53 billion through DWSRF programs to water systems for approximately 18,000 projects. Each state receives an allocation percentage that is based directly on its proportional share of the total need for all 50 States and Puerto Rico. The percentage made available to any individual state ranges from 1% to almost 11%, with each state guaranteed a minimum of 1% of the total amount available to states. Due to any individual state’s share of the total state need, some states will see increases or decreases in the percentage of funding they receive.
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