### ME MOR AN D UM SUBJECT:

FROM :

TO: UN I TED STATES ENV I RONMENTAL PROTECTION AGE N CY WASHINGTON , D

. C

. 20 460



### JUN - 3 2015 O rFI CE OF W/1 fER



### Guideline s for Enhancin g Public Awareness ofSRF Ass is tanc e Agreement s 

# ;lM\ Andrew D. Sawyers. Ph.D. , Dir ecto r Office of Wastewater Management (420 I M) P

e ter C. Gre vatt , Dir ec t o r

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# ).LV**. ~**  Water Management Divi s ion Directors R

eg ion s 1-X

Las t yea r, the Environmental Pro t ec ti o n Age ncy (E P A) impl eme nted an agency-w ide initi at ive to enhan c e public aware ness of EPA ass is t a nc e agreements nationwide . The Office of Water ha s d eve lope d g uid e lin es to inform s t ates how thi s initiative s hould be impl emented in th e State R

ev olvin g Fund (SRF) Prog ram s . The g uid e line s we re developed with input from E PA and s tate SRF s taf f. The g uidelines re cog ni ze that each of th e state SRF prog rams and th e project s they fund a re diff e rent and that one implem e ntat ion method will not work for eve ry o ne. Therefore , as a result of input from th e s tate s, the guid e line s offer a numb e r of options th at can be used to enhance public awareness of S RF ass ist ance ag reeme nts . Impl emen t ation of these g uideline s w ill be g in with th e awardin g of the FY 20 15 S RF c a pita lization g rant s . A tem1 and co ndition on compliance with th e g uid e lin es i s to be includ ed in all new RF g rant s. Plea se ha ve yo ur staff prov id e copies of th e guid e lin es to yo ur s tates. Questions rega rdin g the g uidelin es s ho uld be direc ted to Sheila Platt (202 /564-0686) o r f

- I oward Rubin (202/56 4-2051 ). Attac hment

Internet Address (URL) • htlp 1/ wwwepa gov Re cyc led / Recyclable • P nnt ed wr th Veg etable Orl Ba se d Ink s o n 1 00% P ost consume r. Process Chlon n e Free Recycled Paper

### E nh a ncin g Public Awarene ss of S R F Ass i sta n ce Ag r ee m e nt s Intro duction

Th e Env ironmenta l Protection Agency (EPA) is currently implementin g an age nc y-wide initiative focused on signage to enhance public awareness ofEPA assistance ag reeme nts nationwide. The i ntention of this effort is to communicate the positi ve imp ac t and benefits of E PA fund in g around the co untry and in crease awareness s urroundin g th e improvements co mmunjti es receive as a result of State R evo lving Fund (S RF ) assi s tanc e. Pro j ec t s impl eme nted w ith C lean Water Sta te Revo lv in g Fund (CWS R F) and Drinkin g Water State R evo lv in g F und ( DWSRF) monies are in c luded in this initi ative. as man y CWS R F and DWSRF ass i stance ag re e ments ha ve direc t a nd tangib le benefits to populations around the co untry. EPA's Office of Water developed these g uid e lin es as a way to inform states of thi s directive and how it sho uld be impl emented in the SRF programs. The primary object i ve is to enh ance public understanding of th e positive benefits of CWSRF and DWSRF fu nding to town s. c it i es, municipalities and water sys tems. To th at e n d , s tate s are presented with a range of o ption s for implementing these g uid e !ines

. A ll of th ese op ti o n s ac hi eve the ultim ate goa l of co mmunicatin g to a broad aud ience the pos iti ve role E PA fund in g o f the s tate CWSRF a n d DWSRF programs plays in comm uni ties ac ross the country. The inf o rmation in th e guidelines was developed wi th input from EPA and sta te s taff ac ross the coun try as well as the members of the State-EPA Workgroup. T he guidelines recognize the wide ra n ge of project types , va ri e d locat ions and d i ffe r en t in s titutional approaches a mon g sta te s and commu ni t ies. There fore , providing states and S R F assistance recip i ents max imum flexibility is opt im a l. The g uid eli nes a ll ow se l ection of th e im pleme nt a ti o n m ethod w hi c h be s t ba lances t wo goa ls. Firs t , it shou ld sa ti sfy the overall objective of communicating E P A's ro le in funding assistance agreements that achieve positive benefit. Seco nd , the impl emen ta ti o n method should be prac ticall y and financially viab le for s tates a nd commu nities and avoid any overly burdensome in vest m e nt of time and resources. I n some cases . it mi ght be appropriate for a state to se lect a combination of opt io n s l isted belov. r , provided this does not result in excessive cost to co mmunities. 

### Proje ct Selection R eq uire ment s S ig na ge requ ireme nts w ill n o t be r equi r ed to app ly to all SRF project s. S ig n age w ill b e considered an equiva lency req uirement for S RF programs. States s hould se lect a se t of borrowers and/ o r projects totaling a fund i ng amount eq ui va lent to the amount of their federa l cap itali zation g ra nt to sat i sfY the signage requirement. There arc no other requirements or restrictions on w hi c h projects s h ou ld or shou ld n ot participate in this initi a ti ve. Therefore, it is a t the di scre tion of the state S RF program to se lec t projects mo s t able to efficie ntl y and effecti ve ly co mpl y in a way thatmeet s th e in te ntion to enh a n ce pub l ic awareness w ithout s ig nifi ca n t financi a l h a rd s hip to the s tate o r its borrowers. Thi s ca n be d one ei th e r through th e selec ti o n of specific projects o r borrower s. or by setting a thre s hold within the state for which projects will be requested to meet signagc r eq uirements. States s hould n ote that they have the op ti o n of selecting different implementation op ti ons fo r different bonowers depending o n the location , proj ec t type and availab l e reso urces. Borrowers a n d/or projects co mpl yi n g w ith the s ignage r equ ire ment must ensure lim ited E n glis h proficient indi v idu a ls have meanin gf ul access to ac ti v iti es receiv in g EPJ\ funds, cons i ste nt w ith Executive Order 13166 and EPA Order I 000.32. In this regard , to increa se public awareness of projects serving commun iti es where English is not the predominant language , S t ates s hou ld e n cou rage r ecipients w h e n impl eme ntin g a particular s ignage opt io n to tran s late th e lang uag e u sed (exc ludin g th e EPA logo o r sea l) into th e appropriate non-English language(s). The cos t s of s uch tran s lation a re allowabl e . provided the costs are reasonab le. A lthough th e signage require ment does no t app ly to al l SRF projects, we recommend that states encourage a ll borrowers/ projects to noti fy th e pub l ic of th e benefits of th e projects a nd th e r ole of the S RF , u s in g o ne of th e op ti ons bel ow . Summary of Op tions Th e guidelines present a number of optio n s wh i ch com muni t i es can explore to implement EPA's s i g n age po li cy . The option se lected should m ee t a ll of the above basic req uireme nt s while re mainin g cos t -effec tiv e a nd access ibl e to a broad a udi e nc e. T h e gu id e lin es de sc rib e the following s trategies as acceptab le opt ions fo r communities to fo ll o .. v:

• Standard signage • P os te r s o r wall s ignage in a public build in g o r location • N e wspape r or p eri od ica l a d ve rti se m e nt fo r proj ec t co n structi o n , gro undbrea kin g ceremo n y . o r ope rat ion of the n ew or improved facility • Online s ignage placed on community website o r socia l media outlet • Pre ss release Each of th ese op tion s is described in more deta il in the sec ti o n s belo\.v

. Implementation Option: 

### St:mdanl Signagc E PA recommends that large projects that involve sig nificant expansio n or cons tru c t ion of a ne w facility elect to publicize tllJough stan d ard s ignage. This option s hould be selec ted for project s where the s ign wo uld be n car a major road o r thoroughfare o r w h e r e the fac ility i s in a locati on a t w hi c h th is would effect i ve ly publi c ize th e upg rades

. Some facilities w ill n o t find thi s an appropr iate or cost
- effectiv e so lution. For examp le, invest in g in a large road s ign for a facility that is located i n a rural area or whe re access i s limited to a sma ll e r serv ice road wou ld likel y not be an optimal so lution. 2Signs can also be located away from the project site if there is another reasonable a lternative. For example, a community may elect to place a sign advertising the project near a body of water that receives discharge from a particular facility.

States selec tin g projects th a t will impl ement thi s requirement through u se of a traditional sign should ensure the fo ll owing are included:

• The name ofthe facility. project and communi ty • Project cost • The State Agency/ SRF administering the program • The EPA and State Agency logo s (E PA logo may only be used on a sig n) If the EPA logo is displayed a long with lo gos of other participating e ntitie s, the EPA logo must not be displayed in a manner that implies that EPA itself is conducting the project. Instead , the EPA logo must be accompanied with a statement indicating that the recipient received financial assistance from EPA for the project. As provided in the s ign spec ification s from the EPA Office of Public Affairs (OPA), th e E PA logo is the id e ntifi er for assistance agreement p r ojects

. States are required to ensure that recipients comply with the sign spec itications provided by the OPA. available at http: //www.epa.g o v/ ogd/tc/epa logo seal specifications for infrastructure grants.pdf. To obtain the appropriate E P A logo graphic file. the recipient should send a request directly to OPA and include the EPA Proj ect Officer in the communication

. 

### Implementation Option: Posters or Brochures Smaller projects , projects located in rur a l areas. and other efforts may tind that it is more costeffective and practical to advertise efforts th rough creation of a poster or smaller s ign. If the project involves nonpoint source or green infrastructure componen t s. those can be described at the discretion of the state o r commun ity. The poster or brochure and acknow ledgeme nt s hould be visible. as well as a website or other source of information for individuals that may be curious about the SRF program. The community could also implement this option a s a short pamphlet or brochure that is placed in one of these locations for community members to read. Posters or b r oc hures should be placed in a public location th a t is accessible to a wide audience of community members. This can include, but is not limited to:

• Town or City Hall • Commun ity Center • Loc a ll y owned or operated park or recreational facility • Public Library • County/ municipal government facilities • Court house or other public meeting space 3Given th e low cost for producing multiple copies of the same poster, pamphl e t. o r brochure, communities can explore options for displaying the se posters in severa l locati o n s s imultaneou s ly. This would achieve the overall objecti ve of reaching a broad audience and publicizing the project. States ha ve the option of creating a template verb iage and la yo ut to provide to borrowers, particularly s ma ll er or disadvantaged communities. This could red uce the burden on small municipalities which may o r may not have the staffing capacity to meet signage requ irement s on their own. States selecting projects that will implement this requirement through use of posters or brochures s hould ensu re th e following a r e included:

• Name of facility, project and community • State SRF administering the program • Project is wholly or partially funded with E P A funding • Brief description of project • Bri ef description of th e water quality benefits the project will achieve 

### Impl e m en t at io n Option: New s l etter, Periodical or P ress Relea se Fo r communities where there is no su it able public space or where advertisement through signage is unlikely to reach community members effectively, projects can be advertised in a community new s let te r or si milar periodical. States can u se gu ideline s from their standard pub li c notice practices. For new construction, if a groundbreaking ceremony is to be held. an an nouncem en t could publicize or accompany publicity for this event. In some cases. it may be app ropriate for th e state agency to issue a fonnal press release announcing cons truction of a new facility. Distributing a s in g l e prepared s tatem e nt concisely summar iz in g th e project purpose and the joint funding f rom E PA and state re so urc es can reach a wide aud ience as th e statemen t goes through multiple news o utl ets. Program s s h o uld consider whether or not this is an option that is likely to effect ively publicize the CWSRF or DWSRF program in local news sources. If a recipient decides on a public or media event to pub li cize th e accomplishment of s ignificant eve nt s rel a ted to construction as a result of E P1\ s upport , EPA must be provided with at lea st a ten working day notice of th e event and provided the opportuni ty to attend and parti c ip ate in the event. States se lec tin g projects that wi II implement thi s requirement through use of a newsletter, pe ri od ica l or press relea se s hould e nsure the fo ll owing a r e in c lud e d:

• Name of facility. project and community • State SRF administering the program
4• Project is wholly or partially funded with EPA funding • Brief description of the project • Brief listing of water quality benefit s to b e ac hi eved Impl eme nta ti o n O pti o n : In se rt o r Pa mphl et in Wa te r/Sew er B ill Uti liti es can consider inc l uding a single-page in se rt w ithin water and sewer bills that are mailed to residents and u sers in the area. Thi s approach wou ld effectively publi cize th e project to th ose indi vid uals directly benefi tt ing from th e project. The fl ye r o r in sert cou ld em phasi ze the inte res t rate and financial sav in gs that the community achieved by taking advan tage of S RF funds as well as the environmental and public health benefit s to th e commu nity . States se l ectin g proj ects th at w ill implement thi s r eq uire ment throu g h u se of a n in sert o r pamph let in wate r /s ewer bill s h ou ld e n s ure th e foll ow in g a r e included:

• N ame of facility. project and communi ty • State SRF adm ini ster in g the program • P roject is w holly o r partially fund ed w ith E PA fundi n g • Brief description of the project • Brief listing of water quality benefits to be ac hi eve d Impl e m e nta ti o n O pti o n: O nlin e 

### & S o c i a l M edi a P u bli city Many communities are in c reasingly finding that th e online fo rum is the mo s t cos t- e ffective approach to publici zi n g th e ir SRF program s and reaching a broad audience of stake holders. O nlin e "s ignage .. s hould fo ll ow the minimum in(o rm a ti o n guidelines above a nd m ay appear on the town , community or facili ty website if a vailab l e. In some cases , communities may be active o n soc ial media sites s uch as Faccbook or Twit te r. These can be u sed as a n oppo rtunity for publicizing projects and information about how SRF funds are being u sed in th e communi ty. T hese online announcem e nt s/ notic es may be app rop ri ate for se ttin gs where physical s ignage wou ld not be visib le to a wide aud ie nc e. The y can be a more cost-eff ec tiv e op ti o n than tr ad itional signs or publicity in print media o utl e t s. Thi s opt ion may be m ost useful where the co mmuni ty's webs ite is a we ll-recognized sou rce of inf ormation for i ts re s ident s. In th e case of so me projects, suc h as nonpoint sou rc e or sponso rship p ro jec t s . there might be add itional opportunities for o nline publicity throug h partner agencies or o rga ni za tions. Thi s could take place either o n th e o r gan ization· s webs ite or aga in thr oug h soc ia l media outlet s . S t a tes se lec tin g proj ects that w ill implement thi s r equi r e m e nt through u se of on lin e & so cia l media publicity shou ld e n s ure the follow in g are in cluded:

• Name of facility. project and community • State SRF administering the program • P roject was wholly or partially funded with EPA fundi n g • Brief description of the project 5

### • Bri ef li s ting of water quality ben eti t s to b e achieved 

### S uggested La n g u age fo r A l ternate Opti on s For any of the alternate implementation options listed above. S R F programs have discretion to st ru cture their s i gnage as they see appropriate. The language below is offered as an option for use in posters, pamphlets. broch ures, press releases, or onli ne materials. States may consider usin g the fo ll owi ng : "Construction of upgrades and improvements to the [Name of Facility. Project Locati on . or WWTP] were financed by the [Clean Water / Drinkin g Water] State Revo l ving Fund. The fCWSRF/ D WS RF] program i s admi ni stered by lState Age nc y] w ith joint funding f ro m th e U
. S. E nvironmental Protect io n Age ncy and [ S ta t e Name]. T hi s project will (description of proj ec t) a nd wi ll provide water quality benefits [deta il s spec if y in g part icular benefits] for communi ty residents and businesses in and near ( n ame oftovv n. city. and / o r wat er body or wate rs hed to benefit from project.] [CWSRF / O WS RF) programs ope r ate around the country to provide states a nd communiti es th e resources ne cessary to maintain a nd imp rove th e infr as tructure th at protect s our va lu ab le water resources n ationwide. " For projects in certai n areas. states s hould consider w hether or not it is appropriate to include additional details about the projects. Specific benefits, such as reduction ofCSO events, lessening of nutrient pollution, reduc in g co nt aminant leve ls or wate r pump ing cos ts, o r improve m e nt s to a parti c ul ar wa t e r bod y, m ay be of in terest to co mmunity res ide nt s . In these cases, including th e m would furt her se r ve to showcase positive e fT o rt s financed by th e SRF p rograms. Addit ionally, for projects with components th at mee t Green Project Reserve (G PR ) criteria. States may elect to detail these particular improvements. For example. the state could include quantitative improvements in energy efficie nc y or water co n servati on ac hi eved by project up g r ades

. Tfth e pro j ec t include s gree n infra structure compo nents such as rain gardens and g r ee n roofs that h ave e nv iron m e ntal and aesthe tic benefits to th e community , these can be described briefly as wel l. Again. this additional information can be included at the discretion of the state when it is appropriate, give n the project t ype, location. and the type of sig na ge or publicity effort se l ected.

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