73080 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices 

(14) An entity or person that is the 

subject of supervision or enforcement 

activities including examinations, 

investigations, administrative 

proceedings, and litigation, and the 

attorney or non-attorney representative 

for that entity or person. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF

RECORDS: 

Paper and electronic records. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF

RECORDS: 

Records may be retrieved by a variety 

of fields including, but not limited to, 

the individual’s name, complaint/ 

inquiry case number, address, account 

number, transaction number, phone 

number, date of birth, or by some 

combination thereof. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND

DISPOSAL OF RECORDS: 

The CFPB manages and dispositions 

records identified in this SORN in 

accordance with the NARA approved 

records schedule DAA–0587–2013–0011 

and the corresponding items provided 

within. 

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL

SAFEGUARDS: 

Access to electronic records is 

restricted to authorized personnel who 

have been issued non-transferrable 

access codes and passwords. Other 

records are maintained in locked file 

cabinets or rooms with access limited to 

those personnel whose official duties 

require access. 

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

Individuals seeking notification and 

access to any record contained in this 

system of records may inquire in writing 

in accordance with instructions in 12 

CFR 1070.50 et seq. Address such 

requests to: Chief Privacy Officer, 

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 

1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC 

20552. Instructions are also provided on 

the CFPB website: https://

www.consumerfinance.gov/foiarequests/submit-request/. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

See ‘‘Access Procedures’’ above. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES: 

See ‘‘Access Procedures’’ above. 

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

Portions of the records in this system 

are compiled for law enforcement 

purposes and are exempt from 

disclosure under CFPB’s Privacy Act 

regulations and 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2). 

Federal criminal law enforcement 

investigatory reports maintained as part 

of this system may be the subject of 

exemptions imposed by the originating 

agency pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(j)(2). 

HISTORY: 7

6 FR 45761 (Aug. 1, 2011); 76 FR 

45765 (Aug. 1, 2011); 83 FR 23435 (May 

21, 2018); 85 FR 3649 (Jan. 22, 2020); 85 

FR 3659 (Jan. 22, 2020). 

Kathryn Fong, 

Chief Privacy Officer, Bureau of Consumer 

Financial Protection. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20222 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL 12140–01–OW] 

Notice of Funding Availability for 

Credit Assistance Under the State 

Infrastructure Financing Authority 

Water Infrastructure Finance and 

Innovation Act Program 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice of 

funding availability (NOFA) is to solicit 

letters of interest (LOIs) from 

prospective state infrastructure 

financing authority borrowers seeking 

credit assistance from the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

under the State Infrastructure Financing 

Authority Water Infrastructure Finance 

and Innovation Act (SWIFIA) program. 

EPA estimates that it may lend 

approximately $1 billion to help finance 

approximately $2 billion in water 

infrastructure investment. 

DATES: LOIs submitted on or after 

October 1, 2024, will be reviewed using 

the scoring criteria outlined in this 

NOFA. 

ADDRESSES: Prospective borrowers 

should submit all LOIs electronically 

via EPA’s SharePoint site. To be granted 

access to the SharePoint site, 

prospective borrowers should contact 

wifia@epa.gov and request a link to the 

SharePoint site, where they can securely 

upload their LOIs and then email wifia@

epa.gov once the complete LOI package 

has been uploaded to the SharePoint 

site. EPA will notify prospective 

borrowers that their LOI has been 

received via a confirmation email. 

Prospective borrowers can access 

additional information, including the 

WIFIA program handbook and 

application materials, on the WIFIA 

website: https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amelia Letnes, Office of Water, 

Environmental Protection Agency; 

telephone number: (202) 564–5627; or 

email: letnes.amelia@epa.gov 

(preferred). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Background 

II. Program Funding 

III. Eligibility Requirements 

IV. Budgetary Scoring Determination for 

Non-Federal Projects 

V. Types and Amount of Credit Assistance 

VI. Letters of Interest and Applications 

VII. Fees 

VIII. Selection Criteria 

IX. Federal Requirements 

I. Background 

Congress enacted the Water 

Infrastructure Finance and Innovation 

Act (WIFIA) as part of the Water 

Resources Reform and Development Act 

of 2014 (WRRDA). Codified at 33 U.S.C. 

3901–3915, WIFIA authorizes a Federal 

credit program for water infrastructure 

projects to be administered by EPA. 

WIFIA authorizes EPA to provide 

Federal credit assistance in the form of 

secured (direct) loans or loan guarantees 

for eligible water infrastructure projects. 

Congress amended WIFIA in 

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 

2018 (AWIA) to authorize Federal credit 

assistance exclusively for state 

infrastructure financing authority 

borrowers. 

The WIFIA program’s mission is to 

accelerate investment in our nation’s 

water, wastewater, and stormwater 

infrastructure by providing long-term, 

low-cost, supplemental credit assistance 

under customized terms to creditworthy 

water infrastructure projects of national 

and regional significance. Additionally, 

the WIFIA program is implementing five 

key Administration priorities in this 

2024 NOFA: 

A. Increasing Investment in 

Economically Stressed Communities 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that address the ever-increasing 

needs of economically stressed and 

disadvantaged communities to ensure 

they benefit from investments in water 

infrastructure, and therefore improve 

the public health and livability of these 

communities. 

B. Making Rapid Progress on Lead 

Service Line Replacement 

Many drinking water systems still 

have lead service lines. EPA encourages 

the submission of drinking water 

infrastructure projects that will help 

make rapid progress on replacing lead 

service lines to reduce exposure to lead 

and improve public health. There is no 

safe level of lead in drinking water. Full 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices 73081 

1This estimated loan volume is provided for 

reference only. Consistent with the Federal Credit 

Reform Act of 1990 and the requirements of the 

Office of Management and Budget, the actual 

subsidy cost of providing credit assistance is based 

on individual project characteristics and calculated 

on a project-by-project basis. Thus, actual lending 

capacity may vary. 

lead service line replacement can be an 

effective method to reduce drinking 

water lead levels. Because of this, 

WIFIA-funded projects involving lead 

service line replacement should include 

a plan to conduct full lead service line 

replacement. 

C. Addressing PFAS and Emerging 

Contaminants 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that focus on reducing exposure 

to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 

substances (PFAS) and other emerging 

contaminants through drinking water 

and/or projects that help address 

discharges of emerging contaminants 

from wastewater and/or stormwater 

systems. 

D. Strengthening Climate Resilience in 

the Water Sector 

EPA supports long-term strategies to 

create a more resilient water 

infrastructure to address the increasing 

impacts of extreme weather. This 

includes projects that protect against 

drought through conserving water, 

promoting water efficiency and reuse, 

and protecting and diversifying 

communities’ sources of water. 

Additionally, this includes projects that 

address areas seeing sustained or 

intermittent increases in water flow, 

such as projects that address flood risks 

due to stormwater, projects that address 

the impacts of combined sewer 

overflows, and septic to sewer efforts 

where septic systems are undermined 

by rising groundwater. Taken together, 

these efforts can help communities 

address water quantity and quality 

concerns. 

E. Supporting One Water Innovation 

and Resilience 

One of the defining features of WIFIA 

is the broad range of eligible projects 

that EPA can fund to flexibly support 

priority needs. EPA encourages 

borrowers to submit applications for 

water infrastructure projects that are 

new and innovative in regard to energy 

efficiency, such as onsite wind or solar 

energy as well as methane digesters or 

similar projects that work to reduce 

overall greenhouse gas emissions and 

may also support energy independence 

at the system level. In addition, EPA 

encourages the submission of water 

infrastructure projects that are more 

resilient to all threats—whether they are 

natural disasters or threats such as 

bioterrorism and cyber-attacks. 

II. Program Funding 

A. WIFIA Program Appropriation 

Congress appropriated $5 million in 

funding to cover the subsidy cost of 

providing SWIFIA credit assistance. The 

subsidy cost covers the Federal 

Government’s risk that the loan may not 

be paid back. EPA anticipates that the 

average subsidy cost for SWIFIA-funded 

projects will be relatively low; therefore, 

this funding can be leveraged into a 

much larger amount of credit assistance. 

EPA estimates that this appropriation 

will allow it to provide approximately 

$1 billion 1 in long-term, low-cost 

financing to water infrastructure 

projects and accelerate approximately 

$2 billion in infrastructure investment 

around the country. 

B. Funding Availability Period 

LOIs may be submitted by prospective 

borrowers and will be received by EPA 

on a rolling basis. LOIs shall be 

submitted using the SWIFIA LOI form 

found at https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

Under the rolling process, LOIs will 

continually be reviewed and selected 

based on available funds. The 

publication of this NOFA does not 

impact LOIs previously submitted to 

EPA, which continue to be reviewed 

based on the applicable requirements at 

the time of submission. 

LOIs received on or after October 1, 

2024, will be evaluated as described in 

section VIII of this document. This 

NOFA provides guidance on all SWIFIA 

funding authority available including 

funding from previous years. Any 

funding authority not obligated in the 

fiscal year for which it is authorized 

remains available for obligation in 

subsequent years. 

III. Eligibility Requirements 

The WIFIA statute and implementing 

rules set forth eligibility requirements 

for prospective borrowers, projects, and 

project costs. The requirements outlined 

below are described in greater detail in 

the WIFIA program handbook found at 

https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifiaprogram-handbook. 

A. Eligible Applicants 

Prospective borrowers must be a state 

infrastructure financing authority to be 

eligible for SWIFIA credit assistance. 

EPA defines state infrastructure 

financing authority as the state entity 

established or designated by the 

governor of a state to receive a 

capitalization grant provided by, or 

otherwise carry out the requirements of, 

title VI of the Federal Water Pollution 

Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1381 et. seq.) or 

section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water 

Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12). 

B. Eligible Projects 

To be eligible for SWIFIA credit 

assistance, the SWIFIA project must be 

a combination of projects, each of which 

is eligible for assistance under section 

603(c) of the Federal Water Pollution 

Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383(c)) or 

section 1452(a)(2) of the Safe Drinking 

Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(a)(2)), for 

which a state infrastructure financing 

authority submits to the Administrator a 

single application. 

C. Eligible Costs 

As defined under 33 U.S.C. 3906 and 

described in the WIFIA program 

handbook, eligible project costs are 

costs for the SWIFIA project associated 

with the following activities: 

(i) Development-phase activities, 

including planning, feasibility analysis 

(including any related analysis 

necessary to carry out an eligible 

project), revenue forecasting, 

environmental review, permitting, 

preliminary engineering and design 

work, and other preconstruction 

activities; 

(ii) Construction, reconstruction, 

rehabilitation, and replacement 

activities; 

(iii) The acquisition of real property 

or an interest in real property (including 

water rights, land relating to the project, 

and improvements to land), 

environmental mitigation (including 

acquisitions pursuant to 33 U.S.C. 

3905(8)), construction contingencies, 

and acquisition of equipment; and 

(iv) Capitalized interest necessary to 

meet market requirements, reasonably 

required reserve funds, capital issuance 

expenses, and other carrying costs 

during construction. Capitalized interest 

on WIFIA credit assistance may not be 

included as an eligible project cost. 

IV. Budgetary Scoring Determination 

for Non-Federal Projects 

To comply with Public Law 116–260, 

a project selected for WIFIA financing 

using funding appropriated in FY2024 

will be assessed using two initial 

screening questions and sixteen scoring 

factors. These questions will help the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) determine compliance with 

budgetary scoring rules, a process that 

will be conducted in parallel to EPA’s 

LOI evaluation process outlined in this 

NOFA. The questions may be found in 

the Federal Register publication titled 

‘‘Water Infrastructure Finance and 

Innovation Act Program (WIFIA) 


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73082 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices 

Criteria Pursuant to the Further 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020’’ 

(85 FR 39189, June 30, 2020). These 

questions are also published in the 

WIFIA program handbook and further 

information about the scoring process 

may be referenced therein. EPA 

encourages project applicants to review 

the scoring criteria and provide 

sufficient information in the LOI or as 

an attachment to the LOI to facilitate 

EPA and OMB review of the prospective 

project considering the scoring criteria. 

V. Types and Amount of Credit 

Assistance 

Under SWIFIA, EPA is offering senior 

loans, on parity with a state 

infrastructure financing authority’s 

other senior capital market debt of the 

same credit quality, to help the state 

infrastructure financing authority lend 

to multiple projects throughout the 

state. 

A. Minimum Project Costs 

A SWIFIA project must have eligible 

project costs that are reasonably 

anticipated to equal or exceed $20 

million. 

B. Maximum Amount of SWIFIA Credit 

Assistance 

The maximum amount of SWIFIA 

credit assistance to a state infrastructure 

financing authority is 49 percent of 

estimated eligible total costs of the 

eligible projects that are included in the 

SWIFIA project. 

C. SWIFIA Loan Structures 

Prospective SWIFIA borrowers may 

request one the following loan 

structures: 

(i) EPA accepts the state infrastructure 

financing authority’s existing capital 

market debt indenture (to the extent the 

terms are permissible under Federal law 

and regulation and WIFIA program 

policies); or 

(ii) The state infrastructure financing 

authority accepts EPA’s standard terms. 

More information on EPA’s standard 

terms is available at www.epa.gov/wifia. 

VI. Letters of Interest and Applications 

Each prospective borrower will be 

required to submit an LOI and, if 

invited, an application to EPA to be 

considered for approval. This section 

describes the LOI submission and 

application submission. 

A. Letter of Interest (LOI) 

Prospective borrowers seeking a 

SWIFIA loan must submit an LOI 

describing the SWIFIA project 

fundamentals and addressing the 

SWIFIA selection criteria. 

The primary purpose of the LOI is to 

provide adequate information to EPA to 

validate the eligibility and 

creditworthiness of the prospective 

borrower and the prospective SWIFIA 

project and determine the extent to 

which the SWIFIA project meets the 

statutory selection criteria. Based on its 

review of the information provided in 

the LOI, EPA will invite prospective 

borrowers to submit applications for 

their projects. Prospective borrowers are 

encouraged to review the WIFIA 

program handbook to help create the 

best justification possible for the project 

and a cohesive and comprehensive LOI 

submittal. 

Prospective borrowers should utilize 

the LOI form on the WIFIA website and 

ensure that sufficient detail about the 

project is provided for EPA’s review. 

EPA will notify a prospective borrower 

if its SWIFIA project is deemed 

ineligible as described in section IV of 

this document. 

Below is guidance on what EPA 

recommends be included in the LOI. 

1. Loan Information: The prospective 

borrower provides information about its 

legal name, business address, program 

website, employer/taxpayer 

identification number, Unique Entity ID 

from SAM.gov, requested SWIFIA loan 

amount and SWIFIA project cost 

amount, type of SRF loans (clean water, 

drinking water, or both), and requested 

loan structure. 

2. Supporting Documents: The 

prospective borrower provides the most 

recent version of the following 

documents: Intended Use Plan (IUP), 

SRF Operating Agreements with EPA 

Regional Office, documentation of the 

priority setting system, and bond 

indenture (if applicable). 

3. Contact Information: The 

prospective borrower identifies the 

points of contact with whom the WIFIA 

program should communicate regarding 

the LOI. To complete EPA’s evaluation, 

the WIFIA program staff may contact a 

prospective borrower regarding specific 

information in the LOI. 

4. Certifications: The prospective 

borrower certifies that it will abide by 

all applicable laws and regulations, if 

selected to receive funding. 

B. Application 

After EPA concludes its evaluation of 

a complete LOI package, a selection 

committee will invite the prospective 

borrower to apply based on satisfaction 

of the eligibility requirements. So long 

as budget authority remains available, 

EPA expects that all eligible state 

infrastructure financing authority 

prospective borrowers will be invited to 

apply for a SWIFIA loan. 

An invitation to apply for WIFIA 

credit assistance does not guarantee 

EPA’s approval, which remains subject 

to a project’s continued eligibility, 

including creditworthiness, the 

successful negotiation of terms 

acceptable to EPA, and the availability 

of funds at the time at which all 

necessary recommendations and 

evaluations have been completed. 

However, the purpose of EPA’s LOI 

review is to pre-screen prospective 

borrowers to the extent practicable. It is 

expected that EPA will only invite 

prospective borrowers to apply if it 

anticipates that those prospective 

borrowers are able to obtain WIFIA 

credit assistance. Detailed information 

needs for the application are listed in 

the application form and described in 

the WIFIA program handbook. 

VII. Fees 

There is no fee to submit an LOI. For 

information about application and postclosing costs, please refer to the WIFIA 

fee rule, ‘‘Fees for Water Infrastructure 

Project Applications under WIFIA’’ (40 

CFR 35.10080). 

VIII. Selection Criteria 

This section specifies the criteria and 

process that EPA will use to evaluate 

LOIs and award applications for 

SWIFIA assistance. 

The selection criteria described are 

the statutory selection criteria for state 

infrastructure financing authority 

borrowers. Following its eligibility 

determination, EPA will determine the 

extent to which the SWIFIA project 

meets the statutory selection criteria. 

They are as follows: 

(i) The extent to which the project 

financing plan includes public or 

private financing in addition to 

assistance under [WIFIA]. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(B); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(10). 

(ii) The likelihood that assistance 

under [WIFIA] would enable the project 

to proceed at an earlier date than the 

project would otherwise be able to 

proceed. 33 U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(C); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(2). 

(iii) The extent to which the project 

uses new or innovative approaches. 33 

U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(D); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(3). 

(iv) The amount of budget authority 

required to fund the Federal credit 

instrument made available under 

[WIFIA]. 33 U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(E). 

(v) The extent to which the project (1) 

protects against extreme weather events, 

such as floods or hurricanes; or (2) helps 

maintain or protect the environment. 33 

U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(F); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(4); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(5). 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices 73083 

(vi) The extent to which the project 

serves regions with significant energy 

exploration, development, or 

production areas. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(G); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(6). 

(vii) The extent to which a project 

serves regions with significant water 

resource challenges, including the need 

to address: (1) water quality concerns in 

areas of regional, national, or 

international significance; (2) water 

quantity concerns related to 

groundwater, surface water, or other 

water sources; (3) significant flood risk; 

(4) water resource challenges identified 

in existing regional, state, or multistate 

agreements; or (5) water resources with 

exceptional recreational value or 

ecological importance. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(H); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(7). 

(viii) The extent to which the project 

addresses identified municipal, state, or 

regional priorities. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(I); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(8). 

(ix) The readiness of the project to 

proceed toward development, including 

a demonstration by the obligor that 

there is a reasonable expectation that 

the contracting process for construction 

of the project can commence by not later 

than 90 days after the date on which a 

Federal credit instrument is obligated 

for the project under [WIFIA]. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(J); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(9). 

(x) The extent to which assistance 

under [WIFIA] reduces the contribution 

of Federal assistance to the project. 33 

U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(K); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(11). 

IX. Federal Requirements 

All projects receiving WIFIA 

assistance must comply with the 

applicable Federal requirements. 

Compliance with Federal requirements 

is not required for submitting a letter of 

interest, being invited to apply for a 

WIFIA loan, or submitting an 

application. The WIFIA program will 

review selected projects for compliance 

with Federal requirements once they 

have submitted an application. 

Additional information about Federal 

compliance requirements is available in 

the WIFIA program handbook and at 

https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-federalcompliance-requirements. 

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 3901–3915; 40 

CFR part 35. 

Michael S. Regan, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20221 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL 12139–01–OW] 

Notice of Funding Availability for 

Credit Assistance Under the Water 

Infrastructure Finance and Innovation 

Act (WIFIA) Program 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice of 

funding availability (NOFA) is to solicit 

letters of interest (LOIs) from 

prospective borrowers seeking credit 

assistance from the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) under the 

Water Infrastructure Finance and 

Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. EPA 

estimates that it may lend 

approximately $6.5 billion to help 

finance approximately $13 billion in 

water infrastructure investment. 

DATES: LOIs submitted on or after 

October 1, 2024, will be reviewed using 

the scoring criteria outlined in this 

NOFA. 

ADDRESSES: Prospective borrowers 

should submit all LOIs electronically 

via EPA’s SharePoint site. To be granted 

access to the SharePoint site, 

prospective borrowers should contact 

wifia@epa.gov and request a link to the 

SharePoint site, where they can securely 

upload their LOIs and then email wifia@

epa.gov once the complete LOI package 

has been uploaded to the SharePoint 

site. EPA will notify prospective 

borrowers that their LOI has been 

received via a confirmation email. 

Prospective borrowers can access 

additional information, including the 

WIFIA program handbook and 

application materials, on the WIFIA 

website: https://www.epa.gov/wifia/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amelia Letnes, Office of Water, 

Environmental Protection Agency; 

telephone number: (202) 564–5627; or 

email: letnes.amelia@epa.gov 

(preferred). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Background 

II. Program Funding 

III. Eligibility Requirements 

IV. Budgetary Scoring Determination for 

Non-Federal Projects 

V. Type and Amount of Credit Assistance 

VI. Letters of Interest and Applications 

VII. Fees 

VIII. Selection Criteria 

IX. Federal Requirements 

I. Background 

Congress enacted the Water 

Infrastructure Finance and Innovation 

Act (WIFIA) as part of the Water 

Resources Reform and Development Act 

of 2014 (WRRDA). Codified at 33 U.S.C. 

3901–3915, WIFIA authorizes a Federal 

credit program for water infrastructure 

projects to be administered by EPA. 

WIFIA authorizes EPA to provide 

Federal credit assistance in the form of 

secured (direct) loans or loan guarantees 

for eligible water infrastructure projects. 

The WIFIA program’s mission is to 

accelerate investment in our nation’s 

water, wastewater, and stormwater 

infrastructure by providing long-term, 

low-cost, supplemental credit assistance 

under customized terms to creditworthy 

water infrastructure projects of national 

and regional significance. Additionally, 

the WIFIA program is implementing five 

key Administration priorities in this 

2024 NOFA: 

A. Increasing Investment in 

Economically Stressed Communities 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that address the ever-increasing 

needs of economically stressed and 

disadvantaged communities to ensure 

they benefit from investments in water 

infrastructure, and therefore improve 

the public health and livability of these 

communities. 

B. Making Rapid Progress on Lead 

Service Line Replacement 

Many drinking water systems still 

have lead service lines. EPA encourages 

the submission of drinking water 

infrastructure projects that will help 

make rapid progress on replacing lead 

service lines to reduce exposure to lead 

and improve public health. There is no 

safe level of lead in drinking water. Full 

lead service line replacement can be an 

effective method to reduce drinking 

water lead levels. Because of this, 

WIFIA-funded projects involving lead 

service line replacement should include 

a plan to conduct full lead service line 

replacement. 

C. Addressing PFAS and Emerging 

Contaminants 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that focus on reducing exposure 

to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 

substances (PFAS) and other emerging 

contaminants through drinking water 

and/or projects that help address 

discharges of emerging contaminants 

from wastewater and/or stormwater 

systems. 


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