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| New Federal Funding         for Land Acquisition and Conservation Easements  United StatesOffice of Water EPA 816-F-97-010  Environmental Protection             Agency4606 October 1997      __________________________________________________________________________       Overview 
New funds from the Safe Drinking Water Act promote EPA's mission to protect         public health by ensuring safe drinking water. Land trusts and other local         organizations can further this mission by working with state agencies         and water suppliers to identify and acquire critical lands and conservation         easements.       A Focus on Drinking Water Protection
 Safe drinking water is precious to communities, and its quality can         be threatened by contamination of the lakes, reservoirs, streams, and         ground water that serve as sources of drinking water. Communities of all         sizes across the United States that have experienced contaminated water         supplies or that foresee potential threats to the quality of their drinking         water are considering various options for protecting their sources of         drinking water. Some communities have found that an effective way to protect         water quality is to own or control land that is located in upstream watershed         or ground water recharge areas where development activities could impair         the quality of the drinking water source. While land acquisition and easement         efforts can protect a water supply by preventing pollution-generating         activities in critical areas, the efforts can also provide other community         benefits such as preserving wildlife areas, enhancing recreational opportunities,         and reducing flood damage.       Safe Drinking Water Act Funding 
The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act make it easier for         communities to purchase land or conservation easements for the purpose         of protecting public drinking water supplies. The new law provides for         annual grants to each state through the year 2003 to fund drinking water         programs and projects that protect public health and ensure compliance         with the requirements of the Act. In 1997, grants to individual states         from the U.S. Congress' $1.275 billion appropriation ranged from $12.6         million to $75.7 million. Each state will place most of this money into         a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to use for loans to community         public water systems for building or upgrading water treatment plants         and other water supply construction projects. However, a state also has         the option of designating up to 10% of its federal grant specifically         for the acquisition of land and conservation easements, as well as for         other source water protection activities. The conditions for this land         acquisition set-aside are described in the Drinking Water SRF Program         Guidelines (page 22):       
"A State may provide assistance, only in the form of a loan, to a public           water system to acquire land or a conservation easement from a willing           party for the purpose of protecting the system's source water(s) and           ensuring compliance with national drinking water regulations.         
If a State elects to use this set-aside, the State shall use a priority           setting process to decide what land or easements can be purchased. The           process must include a requirement that public water systems demonstrate           how the land or easements to be purchased will directly promote public           health protection and/or compliance with national drinking water regulations.           The State must seek public review and comment on this process."        Working with States to Influence Funding Decisions 
 Each year, states must explain how they intend to use the federal funding         under the Safe Drinking Water Act in a document that is submitted to the         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called the Intended Use Plan         (IUP). Funds set aside for specific purposes such as land acquisition,         assistance to small communities, wellhead protection, and other uses must         be specifically described in the Intended Use Plan. Before the IUP is         submitted to the EPA for approval, states must provide the public with         adequate opportunity to review and comment on the Plan. Each state must         also respond to all substantial comments received from the public.       
For further information on your state's decisions to designate funds         for easements and land acquisition and how to become involved, contact         the agency in your state that is managing the drinking water program.         Call the EPA Drinking Water Hotline at **1-800-426-4791** for the phone         number and address of your state's contact.        Partnerships with Water Suppliers on Land Acquisition Activities 
 Loans for land acquisition and conservation easements can only be given         to public water systems. Therefore, local land trusts, community groups,         or others that are interested in easements and land acquisition opportunities         for protecting drinking water quality should work cooperatively with local         water suppliers to request funds from the DWSRF. Local groups that have         expertise in identifying properties that qualify for the funding or that         have experience in negotiating acquisitions from willing sellers can offer         their assistance to water suppliers. Such partnerships may complement         the ongoing work of organizations to preserve parts of a watershed or         ground water area for other purposes. Contact your state agency, community         leaders, and/or local public water provider to find out about opportunities         for local involvement, or to explore partnership opportunities.        To Find Out More 
For additional information on state responsibilities for source water         assessment activities, opportunities for local involvement, public participation,         and other issues, call the EPA Hotline and request a copy of the "State         Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs Guidance." In addition,         more details on state use of federal funds for drinking water programs         are contained in EPA's "Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program Guidelines"         that can also be requested through the Hotline.       

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