WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, April 29, the Senate passed the Drinking Water and Wastewater infrastructure Act of 2021. The bill would reauthorize funding of many key infrastructure programs, as well as introduce several new programs to continue helping communities develop and maintain key water infrastructure.
One major new program for stormwater would be the Stormwater Infrastructure Technology Program. This program provides both investment in emerging stormwater infrastructure technologies as well as grant funding to develop these new technologies.
The investment in emerging technologies would provide $5 million each year, for the next five years, to develop three to five Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technologies.
These centers would conduct research on emerging stormwater infrastructure technologies, provide this research information on the Internet, and provide technical assistance to communities to assist with the design, construction, operation and maintenance of projects using the new technologies.
Grant funding, to further develop new infrastructure technologies, would receive $10 million each year for the next five years to distribute grants.
These grants would have a maximum possible individual size of $2,200,000, would be reserved for communities installing new technologies, and would give priority to programs that either benefit rural/disadvantaged communities or benefit municipalities currently using a combined sewer system.
The bill would also reauthorize funding of existing grant programs, also directed toward relieving CSOs and developing stormwater infrastructure. The U.S. Environmental Sewer Overflow & Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant Program would receive $280 million each year for the next five years.
The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act would receive $5 million each year the next five years, and would only require only one investment-grading opinion letter instead of the current requirement of two letters.
The Senate’s vote in favor of the bill was an overwhelming 89-2. If the bill passes the House, it would be eligible for inclusion in the next major water infrastructure act later this year.
