On May 21, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $25 million for states and territories to invest in clean and safe drinking water. This grant funding will benefit underserved, small, and disadvantaged communities by upgrading infrastructure to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, reducing exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), removing lead sources, and addressing additional local drinking water challenges.
Purpose of the EPA Safe Drinking Water Grants
EPA’s grant funding can support various projects to help communities address drinking water concerns, from household water quality testing to monitoring for drinking water contaminants, including PFAS, and identifying and replacing lead service lines. 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 FY 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act updated the eligible uses of the funds to include “one or more owners of drinking water wells that are not public water systems or connected to a public water system” as eligible beneficiaries of the FY 2024 SUDC grant funds awarded to states and territories.
The update allows FY 2024 SUDC funds to benefit owners of private drinking water wells for appropriate projects under the SUDC program. Because this is a new eligibility for the grant program, the EPA anticipates releasing updates with additional details to the grant Implementation Document later this year. The private well eligibility is authorized for the FY 2024 funding for states and territories only. Future Congressional action will determine eligibility for future funding.
Funding by State and Territory
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 non-competitively. EPA awards funding to states based on an allocation formula that includes factors for populations below the poverty level, small water systems, and underserved communities.
Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities (SUDC) Grant Allotments for States and Territories Based on FY 2024 Appropriations of $25 Million are in the Table Below
| State/Territory | 2024 Allotment | State/Territory | 2024 Allotment | |
| Alabama | $369,000 | Montana | $326,000 | |
| Alaska | $571,000 | Nebraska | $284,000 | |
| American Samoa | $141,000 | Nevada | $293,000 | |
| Arizona | $490,000 | New Hampshire | $259,000 | |
| Arkansas | $342,000 | New Jersey | $406,000 | |
| California | $1,624,000 | New Mexico | $393,000 | |
| Colorado | $462,000 | New York | $1,047,000 | |
| Connecticut | $273,000 | North Carolina | $679,000 | |
| Delaware | $195,000 | North Dakota | $210,000 | |
| D.C. | $151,000 | North Mariana Islands | $142,000 | |
| Florida | $961,000 | Ohio | $609,000 | |
| Georgia | $664,000 | Oklahoma | $492,000 | |
| Guam | $135,000 | Oregon | $425,000 | |
| Hawaii | $170,000 | Pennsylvania | $799,000 | |
| Idaho | $316,000 | Puerto Rico | $478,000 | |
| Illinois | $702,000 | Rhode Island | $168,000 | |
| Indiana | $422,000 | South Carolina | $375,000 | |
| Iowa | $348,000 | South Dakota | $240,000 | |
| Kansas | $381,000 | Tennessee | $403,000 | |
| Kentucky | $340,000 | Texas | $1,821,000 | |
| Louisiana | $641,000 | Utah | $291,000 | |
| Maine | $238,000 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $138,000 | |
| Maryland | $305,000 | Vermont | $210,000 | |
| Massachusetts | $348,000 | Virginia | $469,000 | |
| Michigan | $650,000 | Washington | $566,000 | |
| Minnesota | $382,000 | West Virginia | $315,000 | |
| Mississippi | $420,000 | Wisconsin | $439,000 | |
| Missouri | $524,000 | Wyoming | $238,000 |
Additional Resources for Safe Drinking Water Related to PFAS:
REPRINT OF USEPA PRESS RELEASE
EPA Moves Forward on Key Drinking Water Priority Under PFAS Action Plan
WASHINGTON (Dec. 4, 2019) — Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the proposed regulatory determination for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in drinking water to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review. This step is an important part of EPA’s extensive efforts under the PFAS Action Plan to help communities address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) nationwide.
“Under President Trump, EPA is continuing to aggressively implement our PFAS Action Plan – the most comprehensive cross-agency plan ever to address an emerging chemical,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “With today’s action, EPA is following through on its commitment in the Action Plan to evaluate PFOA and PFOS under the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
The action will provide proposed determinations for at least five contaminants listed on the fourth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL4), including PFOA and PFOS, in compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
Background
The Safe Drinking Water Act establishes robust scientific and public participation processes that guide EPA’s development of regulations for unregulated contaminants that may present a risk to public health. Every five years, EPA must publish a list of contaminants, known as the Contaminant Candidate List or CCL, that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and are not currently subject to EPA drinking water regulations. EPA publishes draft CCLs for public comment and considers those prior to issuing final lists.
After issuing the final CCL, EPA determines whether or not to regulate five or more contaminants on the CCL through a process known as a Regulatory Determination. EPA publishes preliminary regulatory determinations for public comment and considers those comments prior to making final regulatory determinations. If EPA makes a positive regulatory determination for any contaminant, it will begin the process to establish a national primary drinking water regulation for that contaminant.
For more information: www.epa.gov/ccl
Background on the PFAS Action Plan
PFAS are a large group of man-made chemicals used in consumer products and industrial processes. In use since the 1940s, PFAS are resistant to heat, oils, stains, grease, and water—properties which contribute to their persistence in the environment.
The agency’s PFAS Action Plan is the first multi-media, multi-program, national research, management and risk communication plan to address a challenge like PFAS. The plan responds to the extensive public input the agency received during the PFAS National Leadership Summit, multiple community engagements, and through the public docket. The PFAS Action Plan outlines the tools EPA is developing to assist states, tribes, and communities in addressing PFAS.
EPA is taking the following highlighted actions:
Highlighted Action: Drinking Water
Highlighted Action: Cleanup
Highlighted Action: Monitoring
Highlighted Action: Toxics
Highlighted Action: Surface Water Protection
Highlighted Action: Biosolids
Highlighted Action: Research
The agency is also validating analytical methods for surface water, ground water, wastewater, soils, sediments and biosolids; developing new methods to test for PFAS in air and emissions; and improving laboratory methods to discover unknown PFAS.
Highlighted Action: Enforcement
Highlighted Action: Risk Communications
For more information, article, and treatment options visit SCS Engineers.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344, the United States uses 79.6 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater for public supply, private supply, irrigation, livestock, manufacturing, mining, thermoelectric power, and other purposes. This blog is intended for businesses that must meet groundwater monitoring regulatory compliance according to EPA and state mandates, which are becoming increasingly stringent.
Have you had a regulatory compliance issue due to the condition of your groundwater monitoring wells or adequacy of your monitoring network? Are you confident compliance issues won’t arise in the future? Groundwater monitoring networks—including wells and dedicated sampling equipment—are often:
What if you managed your groundwater monitoring network like your other equipment assets? By taking a systematic asset management approach to maintaining your groundwater monitoring network you can:
Not concerned? Consider the likely results of the “if it ain’t really broke, don’t fix it” approach:
Regulatory Non-Compliance: Failure to comply with state and federal monitoring well regulations may result in a notice of non-compliance, fines, or legal action.
Repair and Maintenance Costs: Ignoring minor repairs and maintenance can lead to significant well repair or replacement costs. Simple repairs like lock replacement or ground surface seal repair are quick and low cost. Don’t let these minor items put you at risk for notification of non-compliance due to neglect. Other repairs such as protective casing or near-surface well casing repair may cost more but are a fraction of the cost of replacing a well that becomes unstable due to neglect.
Well Replacement Costs: Abandoning and replacing a single well that can no longer be repaired can cost $3,000 to $10,000+ depending on the depth and construction of the well.
As with many assets, you save time and money in the long run by addressing problems before they arise. So what does monitoring well asset management look like? It doesn’t have to be complicated, costly, or time-consuming. We recommend starting with a simple inventory following these basic steps:
1. Identify needed repairs and replacements of existing wells
2. Develop a plan to repair, replace, or abandon wells as needed
3. Identify deficiencies in the coverage of your well networks
Schedule inventory Steps 1-3 yearly. Download SCS Engineers’ useful well inspection checklist to record monitoring well conditions, identify well maintenance needs and identify the regulatory status of each well. Your trained staff or your environmental consultant can perform the yearly well inventory.
Contact SCS at for a groundwater expert near you.
About the Authors: Tom Karwoski, PG, has 30 years of experience as a hydrogeologist and project manager. He has designed and managed investigations and remediations at existing and proposed landfills; and industrial, Superfund, military, and petroleum sites. Mr. Karwoski was a hydrogeologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources prior to becoming an environmental consultant.
Meghan Blodgett, PG is a project professional with over eight years of experience in the environmental consulting field, including soil, groundwater, and soil vapor investigation and remediation; brownfield redevelopment; and solid waste landfill development. She is experienced in planning and performing soil and groundwater contamination investigations, monitoring well design and installation, hydraulic aquifer testing, and soil and groundwater sampling.
