The U.S. EPA announced $50,394,000 in annual funding to states for small, underserved, and disadvantaged communities’ drinking water infrastructure projects.
“Across the country, too many communities struggle with accessing clean, safe water,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “These grants will invest in solutions that upgrade infrastructure, improve water reliability, and deliver safe drinking water to our most vulnerable communities. This grant, along with other funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will strengthen our nation’s water infrastructure and ensure everyone has access to clean, safe water.”
Grant funding can support a broad range of approaches to help communities address drinking water concerns, from household water quality testing to monitoring for unregulated drinking water contaminants. Funds may also support efforts to build the technical, financial, and managerial abilities of a water system’s operations and staff. Infrastructure projects — from transmission, distribution, and storage — that support drinking water quality improvements are also eligible for grant funding.
The Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Community grant program, established under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, awards funding to states and territories on a non-competitive basis. EPA awards funding to states based on an allocation formula that includes factors for population below the poverty level, small water systems, and underserved communities. There is a 10% Tribal allotment.
The FY23 WIIN state/territory funding allocations for small, underserved and disadvantaged communities is as follows:
- Alaska: $1,157,000
- Alabama: $739,000
- Arkansas: $724,000
- American Samoa: $279,000
- Arizona: $1,021,000
- California: $3,304,000
- Colorado: $942,000
- Connecticut: $562,000
- District of Columbia: $303,000
- Delaware: $396,000
- Florida: $1,966,000
- Georgia: $1,338,000
- Guam: $262,000
- Hawaii: $341,000
- Iowa: $711,000
- Idaho: $642,000
- Illinois: $1,417,000
- Indiana: $854,000
- Kansas: $780,000
- Kentucky: $703,000
- Louisiana: $1,303,000
- Massachusetts: $695,000
- Maryland: $621,000
- Maine: $476,000
- Michigan: $1,294,000
- Minnesota: $761,000
- Missouri: $1,059,000
- Northern Mariana: $277,000
- Mississippi: $818,000
- Montana: $642,000
- North Carolina: $1,401,000
- North Dakota: $430,000
- Nebraska: $581,000
- New Hampshire: $534,000
- New Jersey: $798,000
- New Mexico: $812,000
- Nevada: $601,000
- New York: $2,037,000
- Ohio: $1,232,000
- Oklahoma: $1,019,000
- Oregon: $826,000
- Pennsylvania: $1,633,000
- Puerto Rico: $541,000
- Rhode Island: $342,000
- South Carolina: $748,000
- South Dakota: $506,000
- Tennessee: $807,000
- Texas: $3,692,000
- Utah: $604,000
- Virginia: $974,000
- Virgin Islands: $273,000
- Vermont: $421,000
- Washington: $1,165,000
- Wisconsin: $907,000
- West Virginia: $648,000
- Wyoming: $475,000
