Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 100-199 - Environmental Protection General › Chapter NR 166 - Safe Drinking Water Loan Program › Subchapter III - Priority Scoring and Ranking System › Section NR 166.23 - Priority scoring criteria

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) PURPOSE. The
				  purpose of the priority scoring criteria is to establish a list of eligible
				  projects to be funded in a manner that is in accordance with the federal
				  requirements of the safe drinking water act,
				  42 USC
				  300j-12. Consistent with the act, the
				  criteria in subs. (1) to (4) shall apply. The department may require
				  documentation to support any points requested by the municipality. The
				  department may also require a potential applicant to communicate with the
				  department prior to priority evaluation and ranking form submittal to determine
				  what type of documentation is appropriate to show existing contamination for
				  projects that will expand an existing water system or create a new community
				  water system.
(2) GENERAL PRIORITY.
				  The department shall give first priority to acute public health risks,
				  particularly those related to microbiological organisms, and second priority to
				  situations that pose chronic and longer-term health risks to consumers, such as
				  organic chemical contamination. The scoring criteria also consider issues that
				  are related to infrastructure upgrading or replacement to address those
				  projects, or portions of a project, that are eligible for funding but not
				  included in the first 2 priority groups, including projects to correct
				  significant deficiencies or develop capacity in a water system.
Note:
The act requires, to the maximum extent
					 practicable, that priority ranking be given to projects that: 1) address the
					 most serious risk to human health; 2) are necessary to ensure compliance with
					 the requirements of the safe drinking water act, including requirements for
					 filtration; and 3) assist systems most in need on a per household basis
					 according to state affordability criteria.
(3) RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH. The following
				  criteria related to human health risks are divided into acute and chronic risk
				  categories. The department shall assign points to a project based on criteria
				  in a single category in par. (a), if applicable, or a single category in par.
				  (b), if applicable, but not from both. If the severity of the problem is not
				  reflected in any of the categories in par. (a) or (b), the department shall
				  determine the number of points to assign to the project. This subsection also
				  includes par. (c) which the department shall use when assigning points for a
				  project that will eliminate lead service lines. The department shall assign
				  points for risk to human health based on all of the following criteria as
				  applicable to the project:
(a)
Violations and exceedances.
Project addresses a maximum
				  contaminant level violation, an action level exceedance, or a treatment
				  technique violation, or an acute or a chronic health hazard under any of the
				  following requirements:
1. 'Acute
				  contaminants.' Acute contaminants are divided into 3 groups. Points shall be
				  awarded in the following manner for a project that eliminates a problem that
				  poses an acute health hazard from one of these groups:
a. Five hundred points shall be awarded to a
				  project that proposes to eliminate a microbiological MCL violation that already
				  occurred or will address a confirmed waterborne disease outbreak as defined in
				  s.
				  NR 809.04
				  (90), or a demonstrated microbiological
				  contamination problem for a newly created community water system or for
				  expanding an existing community water system in accordance with s.
				  NR 166.06 (1)
				  (f).
b. Four hundred points shall be awarded to a
				  project that eliminates violations of filtration requirements in s.
				  NR
				  810.29 and disinfection requirements in ss.
				  NR
				  810.09 and
				  810.31,
				  or confirmed microbial, including giardia and cryptosporidium, contamination
				  found in finished water.
c. Three
				  hundred points shall be awarded to a project that eliminates a continuing
				  nitrate or nitrite MCL exceedance, or a demonstrated nitrate or nitrite problem
				  for a newly created community water system or expansion of an existing
				  community water system in accordance with s.
				  NR 166.06 (1)
				  (f).