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Greetings!
Sharing a weekly list of federal water resources with a municipal/utility focus.
Looking for something specific? Need help getting to the right contact or information? Let me help you find it! I can help narrow this list for your project and I also often have additional resources to share not listed here. Learn more about EPA’s Office of the Municipal Ombudsman. Please reach out to municipalombudsman@epa.gov (Do not reply to this e-mail).
Note: Newer items are included in this weekly list, for a more comprehensive list of resources please visit Municipal Resources.
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Press Releases/News
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EPA Releases Proposal to Increase Efficiency, Better Protect Health and the Environment in Chemical Reviews under TSCA. EPA released a proposed rule to revise the process for conducting risk evaluations for chemicals already in commerce under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
- EPA Orders Construction Company to Comply with Clean Water Act in St. Croix, USVI
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EPA Seeks Information to Safeguard a Critical Aviation Fire Suppression Agent from Needless Destruction
- EPA Finalizes Action to Strengthen Water Quality in the Delaware River, Protecting Fish and Bolstering Economic Opportunity
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2025 American Relief Act Disaster Supplemental Appropriation for Water Emergencies for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. EPA released memorandums announcing $60 million in disaster relief supplemental funding to address water emergencies in states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, and all impacted Tribes. This funding comes from the American Relief Act and is appropriated as Safe Drinking Water Act Section 1442(b) and Clean Water Emergency allocations for grants and technical assistance. Learn more about additional funding under the Water Funding from the 2025 American Relief Act
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EPA Announces WIFIA Loan to the City of Lake Oswego, Oregon. EPA closed a $123 million WIFIA loan to the City of Lake Oswego for the Wastewater Treatment Facility Replacement Project.
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WIFIA Program Celebrates Construction Completion of Toho Water Authority Project. Toho Water Authority located in Kissimmee, Florida recently finished construction of the Accelerated Gravity Sewer Assessment and Rehabilitation Project, which was partially funded by a $40 million WIFIA loan.
Resources
Webcasts/Workshops/Meetings
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October/November: Environmental Finance Center Network [external with federal funding] provides SRF Office Hours. These sessions are designed to help state agencies, utility operators, and stakeholders navigate SRFs with practical insights and strategies. Each session begins with a theme to provide clarity on managing SRF-funded projects, followed by an open “Ask Me Anything” Q&A
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October 2: EPA's Cybersecurity Utility Talk. Featuring a rural Illinois water and wastewater provider serving over 75,000 people. Hear how they strengthened the cybersecurity posture of their IT and OT systems and enhanced their cyber resilience. Learn practical lessons and strategies that can help other water and wastewater utilities strengthen their defenses.
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October 2: EPA Tools & Resources Training Webinar: SALT Framework for Risk Communication. The SALT Framework is based on a process of Strategy, Action, and Learning and is supported by Tools that together provide a research-based approach and best practices for communicating our work to the American people. This webinar will go over how to use the SALT framework as well as a discussion of key practices and principles for effective risk communication. While the SALT framework is intended for EPA staff, the guiding principles can be applied to any organization’s risk communication efforts.
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October 2, 9, 16, 23 (10am-12:30pm ET): DOE's Better Plants Municipal Drinking Water Virtual Training. Virtual Trainings are hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Each Virtual Training helps partners develop technical expertise to overcome barriers to adopting energy efficiency and emissions reduction best practices and technologies.
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October 7: Environmental Finance Center Network [external with federal funding] webinar Water Filtration and Removal Processes. Reviews filtration concepts used to remove contaminants from drinking water sources
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WIFIA Loan Office Hours: EPA's Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program for water/wastewater infrastructure has Office Hours sessions as open forums for questions about WIFIA funding, the application process, and more.
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October 15: EPA's Cybersecurity Procurement Checklist Webinar. Learn about EPA's new Cybersecurity Procurement Checklist, a resource designed to help water and wastewater utilities incorporate cybersecurity into the procurement process.
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October 15: EPA Tools & Resources Training Webinar: PFAS Destruction by a Hazardous Waste Incinerator. This presentation will describe the development of Appendix A of EPA’s 2024 Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS and Materials Containing PFAS and its use to evaluate thermal treatment technologies, including results of an evaluation of a full-scale hazardous waste incinerator to evaluate air emissions and the effectiveness of incineration. Results show promise for both incineration and the ability to conduct a comprehensive characterization of an incinerator (report).
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October 16: Environmental Finance Center Network [external with federal funding] presents: Community-Driven Workforce Solutions for Green Infrastructure. Green Stormwater Infrastructure requires ongoing maintenance and skilled knowledge for its effective operation. To increase the implementation success of Green Infrastructure, a well-trained workforce with ties to the community is essential. This webinar will explore community-driven green infrastructure programs in New Orleans that support the professional growth of the communities they are based in. We plan to highlight case studies of green infrastructure workforce programs that owe their success to effective collaboration with the communities they serve.
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October 18-22: 2025 Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities (CIFA) SRF Workshop: Flow & Harmony: Advancing SRFs Through Community and Innovation [external in-person meeting with EPA participation] in New Orleans, LA.
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October 22: EPA Grants Competition Process Webinar - grant applicants learn how to find and successfully apply for competitive EPA grants. The EPA will also provide an overview of the competition process from application through evaluation and selection.
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October 28: Environmental Finance Center Network [external with federal funding] webinars for Small Systems: Lift Station Operation and Maintenance. Discuss maintenance and inspection tasks for wastewater lift stations | Describe the main components of lift stations | Explain how lift station control systems function | Evaluate pumps and motors used in lift stations | Apply safety principles related to lift station O&M
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October 30: EPA's Cybersecurity Vulnerability Scanning Webinar. EPA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provide the third quarterly overview of the most common cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified at water and wastewater systems via CISA’s Free Cyber Vulnerability Scanning for Water Utilities and EPA’s Proactive Vulnerability Identification Program for Water and Wastewater Systems.
- See more at Municipal Resources - Webcasts
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Federal Funding
NEW
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EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic) Fiscal Year 2025 Wetland Program Development Grants. Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) assist state, Tribal, territory (Insular Areas), local government agencies, and interstate or intertribal entities in developing or refining state, Tribal, territory or local programs which protect, manage and restore wetlands. Projects must be performed within one or more of the states or federally recognized Tribes of EPA Region 3 specifically within the geographic boundary of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and/or Tribal lands in one of those states to be eligible to apply for funding. In the case of inter-jurisdictional watershed projects, they must be primarily implemented in EPA Region 3. Apply by November 13, 2025
COMING SOON
CLOSING SOON
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EPA's FY 2026 Brownfields Job Training Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)has been published, and a public outreach webinar about the NOFO will be held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 1:00PM ET / 10:00AM PT. View more details on the FY 2026 Brownfields Job Training Grants web page. Apply by September 26, 2025
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Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is making approximately $2.5 million in funding available for the 2025 LDD Community Support Pilot Program, a noncompetitive grant opportunity providing capacity-building and community support resources to Local Development Districts (LDDs) within the lower Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions. This program targets capacity-building and community support resources to LDDs that are helping economically distressed, isolated areas of distress, and persistent poverty communities navigate federal, state, and other resources that impact economic and community development. The program is designed to enhance the region’s resiliency and ability to compete for and leverage resources. The $2.5 million is open to the 45 LDDs serving communities within the 255 counties and parishes of the DRA eight-state service region. Apply by September 26, 2025.
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EPA’s Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program. This grant program assists medium and large size public water systems with protecting drinking water sources from natural hazards, extreme weather events, and cybersecurity threats. Eligible applicants for this grant program include public water systems that serve a population of 10,000 people or more. Press release: EPA Announces Availability of $9 Million to Protect Drinking Water from Natural Hazards and Cybersecurity Threats. Funding will help advance new Water Sector Cybersecurity Recommendations. Apply by October 6, 2025.
This list only includes newly added items or reminders of those expiring soon, see more at Municipal Resources - Federal Funding
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Technical Assistance
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EPA is launching the Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) initiative to help the Nation’s water systems increase their resilience to natural disasters, as well as cyber and other malevolent threats. SWIFT will provide technical assistance to water sector utilities that focus on risk-informed infrastructure planning and investment, as well as build the capacity of state environmental trainer organizations to conduct risk assessments.
- EPA’s Water Technical Assistance Page includes a one-stop-shop EPA water technical assistance request form where communities can request no-cost direct water technical assistance to evaluate their drinking water, wastewater, stormwater infrastructure, and water quality improvement needs. Communities will be selected on a rolling basis. Some programs under Water Technical Assistance include:
- EPA’s Office of the Municipal Ombudsman provides a unique service specifically for utilities/municipalities in identifying technical assistance opportunities, brainstorming federal funding options, clean water act flexibilities, integrated planning assistance, navigating EPA’s programs and more. Please reach out to municipalombudsman@epa.gov or 202-564-1709 to discuss your projects, permits, or other clean water concerns today - Happy to schedule a time to connect and discuss how our office might assist!
- See more at Municipal Resources - Technical Assistance
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Meet with the Municipal Ombudsman
Take care,
Jamie Piziali, Municipal Ombudsman
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Municipal Ombudsman is an independent, impartial, and confidential resource to assist municipalities in navigating clean water. Learn more at www.epa.gov/ocir/municipal-ombudsman
Note: Please reach out to funding agencies or program managers directly for updates regarding specific grants, funding cycles, technical assistance, and status of NOFOs. Many agencies have their Requests for Applications (RFAs) and assistance programs under review.
The information in this publication comes from many resources and federal listservs. See more on our Municipal Resources page.
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