Federal grant programs / Environmental Protection Agency

State Public Water System Supervision (66.432)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$273 million
• Grant awards113
• Typical award$1.7 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$48.0 million
• Size rank528 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $53.9 million in fiscal 2021 to $48.0 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 528th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 92% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 29 states and territories.

What the program funds

The objective of these grants is to provide financial assistance to eligible States and Tribes, those that have Primary Enforcement Responsibility for the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program, for implementation and enforcement of the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act that apply to public water systems. In cases where a State or a Tribe does not have a Primary Enforcement Responsibility program, the EPA is authorized to use funds that would have otherwise been made available to the State or the Tribe to assist it in direct implementation of the PWSS program. The fundamental goal of the PWSS Program, and the grants, is to ensure that public water systems comply with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations listed in 40 CFR 141. State drinking water agencies, which have Primary Enforcement Responsibility for the PWSS Program, and Indian Tribes that receive PWSS grants are to use them to ensure that public drinking water systems, of all types, and of all sizes: (1) are currently in compliance with the drinking water regulations and remain in compliance, (2) are working towards and in the process of achieving compliance when these systems are noncompliant, and (3) are preparing for future compliance with any new drinking water regulations that will be taking effect in the current or following year. Furthermore, State drinking water agencies, which have Primary Enforcement Responsibility for the PWSS Program, and Indian Tribes that receive PWSS grants are required to use the funds to update and maintain its PWSS program to comply with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Implementation requirements listed in 40 CFR 142 to ensure that the State or Tribal PWSS program is capable of conducting oversight of all public water systems as new drinking water rules, new public water systems, and/or drinking water program requirements become effective.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Eligibility is limited to the governments of the fifty States; the District of Columbia; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; the Northern Mariana Islands; the Virgin Islands; Guam; American Samoa; and federally recognized Tribes, that have either assumed primary enforcement responsibility for the PWSS Program or that want to develop a program that will allow them to seek delegation for a PWSS Program. EPA may also use funds allotted for a State or Tribal program, if the State or Tribe does not have, or is not developing, primary enforcement responsibility, or EPA may use all or part of the funds to support the PWSS Program in absence of an acceptable State program. Eligibility is also limited to a single agency within each State, Territory, or Tribe - an agency that has been designated by the jurisdiction's Governor or Chief Executive Officer. Primary Enforcement Responsibility for the Public Water System Supervision Program is provided for in 40 CFR 142 (https://ecfr.federalregister.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-142?toc=1).

What the money can and cannot pay for

The funds are to be used to develop and implement a Public Water System Supervision Program adequate to enforce the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act and associated program regulations found in 40 CFR Parts 35, 141, 142, and 143. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA.

Matching requirements

Statutory Formula: Title 42, Part Section 300j-2, Subpart NA,Public Law 93-523.State allotments are computed through use of a formula, as prescribed in Public Law 93-523 Section 1443 (a)(3) and (a)(4), 40 CFR 35.172 (42 U.S.C. 300j-2). Funds appropriated each year are allotted on the basis of: (a) State, Territory, or Tribal population (20 percent) as contained in the most currently available (published) U.S. Census Bureau data; (b) State, Territory, or Tribal geographical area (10 percent) as contained in the most currently available (published) U.S. Census Bureau data; (c) the number of active community and non-transient non-community water systems being regulated by the State, Territory, or Tribe that are on record in EPA's data system (56 percent); and (d) the number of active transient non-community water systems being regulated by the State, Territory, or Tribe that are on record in EPA's data system (14 percent). All States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are eligible for a minimum of $334,500 (which is equal to 1 percent of the FY 1989 PWSS Program appropriation). The American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands are eligible for a minimum of $111,500 (which is equal to 1/3 percent of the FY 1989 PWSS Program appropriation).

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Range of $126,000 to $7,529,000/fiscal year; Average of $1,697,000/fiscal year.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Funding is awarded to each of the 49 States, five territories, and one Indian Tribe that has primary enforcement responsibility for the PWSS Program. The funding is primarily for governmental salaries to: develop State or Tribal drinking water regulations, update and maintain an inventory of drinking water systems, manage information on public water systems, ensure public participation regarding drinking water systems, provide technical assistance to public water systems, and enforce drinking water quality standards as required to comply with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Implementation requirements listed in 40 CFR 142 to thereby ensure that the State or Tribal PWSS program is capable of conducting oversight of all public water systems as new drinking water rules, new public water systems, and/or drinking water program requirements become effective. It is estimated that for FY 2025, the State, territory, and tribal PWSS primary enforcement programs will use the PWSS grant to assist an estimated 144,000 public water systems.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

State and local governments received 98% of the money, tribes 0.9%.

By state

26 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.