This brochure provides information 

about the eligibility of water and 

wastewater utilities for disaster 

funds under the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) 

Public Assistance Grant Program.

FEMA

FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program

Following a Presidentially-declared emergency or disaster, 

FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program provides supplemental Federal disaster grant assistance for the repair, 

replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly 

owned facilities and facilities of certain private non-profit 

organizations. The Federal share of assistance is not less 

than 75% of the eligible cost for emergency measures and 

permanent restoration. The State determines how the nonFederal share (up to 25%) is split with the applicants.

Public Assistance Grant funds are available to eligible applicants. Eligible applicants include public drinking water and 

wastewater utilities. The Program does not cover for-profit 

drinking water or wastewater utilities. Other grant programs 

for public or private utilities are available and are referenced 

in the final question/answer at the end of this publication.

FEMA has reviewed and concurred 

with this publication.

Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater 

Utilities in Emergencies and Disasters

FEMA

Office of Water (4608T) EPA 817-F-10-009 August 2010 www.epa.gov/safewater
Eligible Work

To be eligible for FEMA funding, the work must:

• Be required as the direct result of a Presidentiallydeclared disaster;

• Be performed at a facility that had been in active 

use at the time of the disaster;

• Occur within the designated disaster area; and

• Be the legal responsibility of the applicant at the 

time of the disaster.

Work that is eligible for supplemental Federal disaster 

grant assistance is classified as either emergency work 

or permanent work.

•	 Emergency Work – Includes debris removal and 

emergency protective measures performed to eliminate or reduce immediate threats to the public health 

and safety including restoration of drinking water, 

sanitation, and fire protection services.

• Permanent Work – Includes work to restore an 

eligible damaged facility to its pre-disaster design. 

Work may range from minor repairs to total replacement. In publication FEMA 322 Public Assistance 

Guide, permanent work under Category F includes 

repair of water treatment and delivery systems and 

sewage collection and treatment facilities.

Facilities will be restored on the basis of design, 

capacity, and function of such facilities as they existed 

immediately prior to the disaster and in conformity with 

applicable standards and codes at the time of the disaster.

Hazard mitigation measures that are cost-effective may 

be required by FEMA. Any such measures placed on 

applicants by FEMA will be eligible for reimbursement. 

Applicants may suggest hazard mitigation measures.

Eligible Reimbursements

To be eligible for reimbursement, costs must:

• Be reasonable and necessary to accomplish eligible 

work;

• Comply with federal, state, and local laws and 

regulations;

• Include deductions of insurance proceeds, salvage 

value, and purchase discounts; and

• Not be eligible for reimbursement under other State 

and Federal Programs.

Reimbursement of salaries and wages (including regular time, overtime, fringe benefits, and compensatory time) of employees will be paid on eligible disaster 

permanent work. For emergency work, only overtime 

of regular permanent employees is eligible. Regular 

and overtime of temporary hires are eligible for reimbursement.

Reimbursement for equipment used on eligible disaster-related work is based on the FEMA rate schedule 

or the applicant’s established rates, whichever is lower, unless the applicant’s rates are considerably lower 

and the applicant certifies that rates do not reflect actual costs.

Reimbursement for costs of materials and supplies 

used in eligible disaster-related work are eligible.

If a repair costs less than 50% of the cost to replace 

that item, then the applicant is required to repair the 

item rather than replace it. However, the 50/50 rule 

has some limited application to water and wastewater 

utilities. in certain instances. For example, if a pipe in a 

distribution system is damaged, a pipe repair may lead 

to a weak joint in the system and subsequent problems. 

Therefore, replacing the pipe will likely be better than 

patching it. For this reason, replacement may be eligible if the utility can demonstrate a greater benefit 

for replacement versus repair. For more clarification 

on this issue, the utility should work with the FEMA 

Public Assistance Coordinator.

The cost of establishing temporary emergency services in the event of a utility shut-down may be eligible 

(e.g., providing a temporary sewage facility).

Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater Utilities in Emergencies and Disasters

FEMA

Office of Water (4608T) EPA 817-F-10-009 August 2010 www.epa.gov/safewater
of work and the itemized costs prior to funding 

projects. Applicants should document all damages 

and costs with pictures, written descriptions and 

financial records. 

•	 Project Review. FEMA will review the project to 

confirm that expenses are eligible, that worksheets 

are complete and accurate, and that the project 

complies with all applicable Federal and State 

regulations and policy. 

•	 Approval, Funding, Grantee, and Subgrantee.

Upon approval, FEMA and the State share 

responsibility for making Public Assistance Grant 

funds available to the applicant. The Grantee is the 

State and the Subgrantee is the applicant (utility). 

The Public Assistance Process

PDA

Disaster

Event

Governor’s

Request

Declaration

Applicants’

Briefing

Submission

of Request

Kick-off

Meeting

Formulation

of Projects

Project

Review

Grantee

Approval

Subgrantee Funding

Applying for Public Assistance Grants

The Public Assistance Grant Process

Utilities can apply for funds through the Public Assistance Grant process

•	 PDA. A Preliminary Damage 

Assessment (PDA) is conducted 

by State and Federal teams 

immediately after a disaster to 

determine whether State and 

local resources are overwhelmed 

and supplemental Federal 

assistance is required. For the 

PDA, utilities should be prepared 

to answer questions about the 

status and damage to the water 

and wastewater systems.

•	 Governor’s Request. If Federal 

assistance is required, the State’s 

Governor will issue a request for 

Federal assistance. 

•	 Declaration. Based on the Governor’s request, a 

Presidential declaration may then be made, with 

FEMA designating the areas eligible for assistance. 

•	 Applicant Briefing. After the Declaration, 

applicants (utilities) should attend a State-sponsored 

Applicants’ Briefing to receive information about 

available funding and eligibility requirements.

•	 Submit Request. Applicants should complete and 

submit to the State a Request for Public Assistance 

Request form. Applicants may submit the Request 

forms at the Applicants’ Briefing, or submit them to 

the State within 30 days following the designation 

of the area in which the damage is located. Upon 

receipt of the Request form from the State, FEMA 

will assign a Public Assistance Coordinator (PAC) 

to work with each applicant throughout the disaster 

recovery period. 

•	 Kickoff Meeting. The PAC will meet with each 

applicant to provide technical assistance and discuss 

eligibility requirements and project formulation.

•	 Project Formulation. The PAC will then help the 

applicant to formulate the project, which involves 

documenting the eligible facility, eligible work, and 

eligible costs. Applicants must supply FEMA with 

the documentation necessary to approve the scope 

Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater Utilities in Emergencies and Disasters

FEMA

Office of Water (4608T) EPA 817-F-10-009 August 2010 www.epa.gov/safewater
Q: Who is responsible for determining and documenting the 

extent of damage incurred and repairs conducted?

A: The facility owner is responsible for conducting rapid and accurate damage assessments and keeping thorough documentation of repairs.

Q: Can work done by Water/Wastewater Agency Response 

Networks (WARNs) or another mutual aid/assistance 

mechanism be eligible for Public Assistance? 

A: Pre-written and adopted mutual aid/assistance agreements allow work completed by signatory utilities to be eligible for reimbursement. For example, the utility that requests resources 

under a WARN can complete and submit a claim for reimbursement using the cost information provided by the utility who 

provided the resources under the WARN. Information about 

WARN or interstate mutual aid/assistance programs (e.g., 

EMAC) are referenced at the end of this publication.

Q: Are Items from Pre-Arranged Emergency Response Contracts Eligible for Reimbursement?

A: Pre-arranged emergency response contracts are eligible subject 

to other provisions of the Public Assistance Grant Program. Prior 

to a disaster, utilities should establish water contracts and/or 

memorandums of agreement for response and recovery for 

items such as fuel, bottled water, and chemicals.

Q: Are administrative costs eligible for FEMA funding?

A: Yes. Reasonable costs for requesting, obtaining, and administering public assistance are eligible. 

Q: Is there anything an applicant should do prior to meeting 

the FEMA and State program representatives?

A: Yes, the applicant should:

• Prepare a list of the damaged sites and mark them on a county or city road map.

• Gather copies of insurance policies on damaged structures.

• Keep disaster-related costs separate from non-disaster costs.

Q: What time limits should utilities be aware of associated 

with the FEMA Public Assistance Program: 

A: • Utilities must submit a Request for Public Assistance within 

30 days of the designation of the declared disaster area.

• Emergency work must be completed within 6 months.

• Permanent work must be completed within 18 months.

Based on extenuating circumstances or unusual project requirements, and only if there is no change to the scope of work 

or cost, the State may extend the deadlines for Emergency 

Work by an additional 6 months and for Permanent Work by 

an additional 30 months. 

Q: If equipment was damaged by the disaster event, can the 

utility upgrade the equipment and submit it to FEMA as an 

eligible cost?

A: FEMA will only reimburse eligible costs to restore an eligible 

damaged facility to its pre-disaster condition, function and capacity. However, costs that are necessary to comply with codes 

and standards applicable at the time of the disaster may also 

be eligible.

Q: Is either loss of revenue or increased operating expenses 

eligible?

A: No. Loss of revenue and added costs or charges for providing 

regular utility services are not eligible.

Q: Are internal video inspection and sewer line cleaning eligible?

A: FEMA does not provide funds for general surveys to look for 

damage. However, if disaster-related damage is evident, FEMA 

may pay for inspections to determine the extent of the damage 

and method of repair. Cleaning of disaster-related debris from 

sewer lines is eligible only when necessary to restore adequate 

functioning of the system and when the pre-disaster conditions 

of the sewer lines can be established.

Q: Do all contracts have to be bid competitively?

A: Yes, unless one of the following instances apply: 

• the item is available only from a single source or 

• the utility authorizes noncompetitive proposals or 

• competition is determined to be inadequate after solicitation 

of a number of sources or 

• the contract will eliminate or reduce an immediate threat to 

life, public health, or safety.

Q: Where can I find some additional resource material for public assistance/grants/reimbursements?

A: FEMA Publications at http://www.fema.gov/government/

grant/pa/policy.shtm

• FEMA 321 - Public Assistance Policy Digest (January ‘08)

• FEMA 322 - Public Assistance Guide (June ‘07)

• FEMA 323 - Application Handbook (March ‘10)

FEMA Training at http://training.fema.gov/

• IS-630: Introduction to Public Assistance Process

• IS-631: Public Assistance Operations I

EPA Publications

• Reimbursement Tips for Water Sector Emergency Response 

and Recovery, August 2009, http://www.epa.gov/safewater/

watersecurity/pubs/fs_watersecurity_reimbursementtips_

watersectory.pdf

• Interstate Mutual Aid and Assistance: EMAC Tips for the Water 

Sector, October 2007, http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/pubs/fs_watersecurity_emac_tips.pdf

• Water Security Grant and Funding Matrix, April 2010 (request 

via e-mail through wsd-outreach@epa.gov)

USDA

• USDA Rural Utilities Service – Water and Waste Disposal Programs, http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/program.htm

Water Partners/Associations

• Security Funding Opportunities: Lessons & Observations 

from Water & Wastewater Utilities, January 2008, AWWA

For more information on grant programs 

as well as WARNs, consult EPA’s website at 

www.epa.gov/watersecurity.

Frequently Asked Questions and More Information Resources

Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater Utilities in Emergencies and Disasters

Office of Water (4608T) EPA 817-F-10-009 August 2010 www.epa.gov/safewater