Celebrating A Year of Historic Water Progress

President Biden signs the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the  Bipartisan Infrastructure Law . This historic investment allocates more than $50 billion to improving America's drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.

EPA announces the availability of $7.4 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 State Revolving Fund (SRF) dollars to states, tribes and territories for water infrastructure improvements. Nearly half of that funding is made available as grants or principal forgiveness loans for disadvantaged communities in urban, suburban, and rural America. The 2022 allocation is the first of five years of nearly $44 billion in dedicated SRF funding from EPA that states, tribes, and territories will receive through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  Read the full announcement .

EPA announces a $1 billion investment for clean-up and  restoration of the Great Lakes’  most environmentally degraded sites. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is one of 12 geographic programs administered by the EPA to address ecosystem, community, and health priorities across a specific geography or watershed. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing $1.7 billion across these programs.

EPA releases the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law SRF implementation memo, critical guidance to help states ensure the equitable and impactful distribution of this historic funding. The memo highlights the flexibility provided to states and borrowers to address a wide variety of local water quality and public health challenges.  View full memo and other helpful resources .

States initiate developing their intended use plans for SRF funding and begin submitting applications to EPA for their FY 2022 BIL SRF capitalization grants. Because increasing investment in disadvantaged communities is a priority, EPA encouraged states to review and revise their state’s definitions of disadvantaged communities and affordability criteria. For FY 2022, at least 22 states have updated their definition of disadvantaged community and/or affordability criteria under the Drinking Water SRF and Clean Water SRF, respectively, to increase the flow of investment to the communities that need it most.

EPA releases implementation guidance specific to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s water infrastructure investments in tribal communities.  Approximately $868 million is dedicated  to tribal water projects through FY 2026.

EPA commits $60 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to reducing nutrient pollution through the  Gulf Hypoxia Program and provides implementation guidance on this  first-ever dedicated funding to the 12 Gulf Hypoxia Taskforce (HTF) States, and to eligible tribes in the Mississippi River basin. These funds will accelerate planning and projects in collaboration with farmers, water treatment systems, and resource agencies. These resources will help address the HTF goals of reducing pollution and shrinking the size of the hypoxic or “dead” zone in the Gulf of Mexico, ultimately protecting vital fisheries and the jobs and communities that rely on them.  

In conjunction with the release of the  2022 Interim Updated PFOA and PFOS Health Advisories  and as a part of a government-wide effort to confront PFAS pollution,  EPA invites states and territories  to apply for $1 billion to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water, specifically for small or disadvantaged communities. This is the first annual allotment of $5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant funding through FY 2026.

EPA announces an unprecedented investment of $132 million over the next five years from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law into the  National Estuary Program . This investment will help fund important work to protect and restore estuaries of national significance, funding projects to address climate resilience, prioritize equity, and manage other key water quality and habitat challenges across 28 estuaries along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts and in Puerto Rico.

EPA announces over $173 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs in the  District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories . The announcement is a key step forward in the implementation of President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports territories and D.C. in addressing urgent water challenges, particularly in underserved communities.

EPA takes key steps to implement the Build America Buy America Act (BABA) to create jobs, businesses, and resilient supply chains in America while ensuring that projects are delivered on time and on budget. In September, EPA issued  important waivers , temporarily covering nearly all of the Office of Water’s financial assistance programs, and in November 2022 published  BABA Implementation Procedures  to further support funding applicants.

States begin to  receive SRF funding  from EPA Regions and kickoff capital improvement projects. With the help of this funding, communities and states can:

• Broaden access to clean, safe drinking water
• Treat wastewater to protect human and environmental health
• More effectively manage stormwater challenges
• Create family-supporting jobs
• Generate economic opportunity
• Start to address historic inequities and underinvestment in communities across the nation

On the banks of the Cuyahoga River, EPA recognized the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, groundbreaking bipartisan legislation that forever changed the course of conservation and water quality protection in the United States. More than 200 utility leaders, state and local representatives, philanthropic organizations, and industry experts joined in a discussion about the future of water and how best to secure the next 50 years of water progress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In honor of the Clean Water Act’s anniversary, President Biden issued a  proclamation  marking the occasion and recognizing all that the legislation has accomplished.

EPA announces the selection of 29   Environmental Finance Centers   (EFCs) to help communities across the country access federal funding for water infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction projects that improve public health and environmental protection. The EFCs will deliver targeted technical assistance to local governments and water utilities, states, and tribes. EPA will award up to $150 million in grants to EFCs over the next five years, $98 million of which is dedicated to water technical assistance. This level of EPA technical assistance will enable the agency to assist many more communities beginning in 2023.