Congress passes $1T infrastructure bill

Nov. 8, 2021
The package authorizes $55 billion in new spending for the nation's water infrastructure, significantly expanding existing programs and creating multiple new initiatives.

Late Friday night, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure package, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill approves five years’ funding of $55 billion to support water infrastructure. U.S. President Joseph Biden is expected to soon sign and pass the bill.

While the package was cut nearly in half on its way through Congress, it still contains significant added support for the nation's water infrastructure, including stormwater management. The new package contains $550 billion in new spending generally, with $55 billion to support clean water nationwide.

The package will authorize many programs to support stormwater management nationwide. Among the new programs is an authorized study on stormwater best management practices, which will direct a multi-agency agreement to study pollutant loads from highways and pedestrian facilities, and to recommend potential stormwater management and total maximum daily load compliance strategies.

The National Municipal Stormwater Association reported the bill's investments in stormwater as follows:

  • $25 million for the establishment of 3 to 5 Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technologies
  • $500 million for the Healthy Streets program, which includes a focus on high albedo road surfaces and porous pavements
  • $50 million for community planning and implementation grants for stormwater planning investments.
  • $280 million each year for Overflow and Stormwater Grants program for the next five years ($1.4 billion in total)
  • $125 million each year for resiliency grants for the next five years ($625 million in total)
  • $125 million each year for alternative source water pilot programs, including stormwater ($625 million in total)
  • $14.65 billion to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) over the next five years
  • $1 billion over the next five years for (CWSRF) grants focusing on emerging contaminants, such as PFAS in stormwater
  • $5 million to complete the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey, including more data on stormwater infrastructure needs

The package also reauthorizes $14.6 billion as part of the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Re-use Municipal Grants program, and $16 billion to clean up polluted sites such as wells and mines.

Adam Krantz, CEO of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), said, “NACWA applauds the Biden Administration and leaders in both the House and Senate for working across party lines to pass critical infrastructure legislation that includes significant federal investments in public clean water services for state and local communities.”

The package also authorizes funding for Water Storage, Groundwater Storage, Small Water Storage and Conveyance projects. These will conduct studies and launch competitive grant programs to support states addressing groundwater problems. Similarly, the package will also support a program titled Federal Assistance for Groundwater Recharge, Aquifer Storage, and Water Source Substitution Projects, which will offer significant technical and financial assistance for groundwater and aquifer management nationwide.

Both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds will see an additional $11.7 billion. States will better be able to address PFAS contamination with $5 billion through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Assistance to Small and Disadvantage Communities Program, and with $1 billion through Clean Water State Revolving Funds.

The bill also invests $1 billion over five years in water recycling programs for the Western United States, until now has received roughly $65 million per year through the Bureau of Reclamation. The bill also directs the Administration to establish a federal Interagency Working Group on Water Reuse, which will break down silos, leverage resources throughout the federal family and facilitate stakeholder engagement on water recycling.

Through an Alternative Water Source Grants Pilot Program, the EPA will provide competitive grants to state, interstate, and intrastate water resource development agencies to engineer, design, construct, and test alternative water source systems, including water recycling systems.

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