La. Admin. Code tit. 33 § IX-2101

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section IX-2101 - Introduction to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

A. The 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1956, commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act, provided for a strong federal role in the construction of publicly owned wastewater treatment works by increasing the level of federal aid and expanding the federal grant share to 75 percent in an effort to increase the pace of wastewater treatment facility construction and eliminate the backlog of needed facilities. Congress intended that states and municipalities eventually assume full responsibility for financing, building, operating, maintaining, and replacing their treatment facilities.

B. The 1977 amendments to the Clean Water Act began shifting responsibility to state and local governments by authorizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delegate most of its construction grants management functions to the states. The 1981 amendments further reduced the federal role by reducing the annual federal authorization by half, reducing the federal grant share, narrowing the eligible funding categories, and reducing the eligible treatment capacity to that required to meet existing needs.

C. The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act set forth a schedule and mechanism for completing the transition to full state and municipal responsibility. The EPA continued to have the authority to allot funds to states for the award of grants to municipalities to construct wastewater treatment facilities through Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 1990. A new authority was created in the amendments that allowed EPA to make grants to capitalize clean water state revolving funds (CWSRF)s, the primary purpose of which is to provide loans and other financial assistance to municipalities for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities. Beginning in FY 1987, states were able to exercise an option to use a portion of their annual construction grants allotments for the capitalization of CWSRFs. The last year in which funds were appropriated for direct project funding through construction grants was FY 1990. Separate appropriations for CWSRF capitalization grants were authorized from FY 1989-FY 1994. Although Congress has continued to provide funding beyond FY 1994 at its discretion, the funding for CWSRFs may stop.

La. Admin. Code tit. 33, § IX-2101

Promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Water Resources, LR 13:742 (December 1987), repromulgated LR 14:862 (December 1988), amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Division, LR 40:767 (April 2014).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:2011(D)(1).