The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) authorizes set-aside funds to enable states to implement specific requirements of the SDWA. The amount and use of set-aside money is set each year in the IUP pursuant to rule 567-448. (455B) and may be adjusted from year to year based on available funds and priorities as outlined in the IUP. As prescribed in the SDWA, set-asides will include but are not limited to:
(1) Administration expense set-aside. These set-aside funds are to be used to administer the DWSRF. Up to 4 percent of the funds allotted through federal capitalization grants may be used for the reasonable costs of administering the programs and providing technical assistance. These costs may include such activities as issuing debt; DWSRF program start-up costs; audit costs; financial, management and legal consulting fees; development of IUP and priority ranking system; development of affordability criteria; and cost of support services provided by other state agencies. If the entire 4 percent is not obligated for administrative costs in one year, the excess balance may be reserved and used for administrative costs in later years.
(2) Small system technical assistance set-aside. These set-aside funds will be used to provide technical assistance to public water supplies serving 10,000 people or fewer. Up to 2 percent of funds allotted through federal capitalization grants may be used for this purpose. These funds may be used to support a technical assistance team or to contract with outside organizations to provide technical assistance. Applications for third-party technical assistance proposals must be submitted and will be accepted and evaluated pursuant to subrules 44.7(2) through 44.7(7) prior to publication of the IUP in a given year. If the entire 2 percent is not obligated for these activities in one year, the excess balance may be reserved and used for the same activities in later years.
(3) Local assistance and other state programs set-aside. Funds from this set-aside may be used for other categories of activities to assist development or implementation of local drinking water protection initiatives or both. Up to 15 percent of the capitalization grant amount may be used for the following activities, with the stipulation that not more than 10 percent of the capitalization grant amount may be used for any one activity:
a. Assistance, in the form of a loan, to a public water system to acquire land or a conservation easement for source water protection purposes;
b. Assistance, in the form of a loan, to a community water system to implement voluntary, incentive-based source water quality protection measures;
c. Establishment and implementation of wellhead protection programs; and
d. Provision of funding to a public water system to implement technical or financial assistance under the capacity development strategy.
Source water (quality partnership) petition programs (made by individual or consortiums of public water systems) established under Section 1454 of the SDWA amendments of 1996 (PL. 104-182, August 6,1996) will be eligible for money under this set-aside. Applications for third-party source water petition proposals must be submitted and will be accepted and evaluated pursuant to subrules 44.7(2) through 44.7(7) prior to publication of the IUP in a given year. These funds may not be reserved for future use.
(4) State program management set-aside. Funds from this set-aside may be reserved for
public water supply supervision (PWSS) programs, including the following uses:
a. Administration of the state PWSS program;
b. Administration or provision of technical assistance through source water protection programs, which include the Class V portion of the Underground Injection Control Program;
c. Development and implementation of a capacity development strategy; and
d. Development and implementation of an operator certification program.
This set-aside allows a maximum of 10 percent of the total available federal capitalization grant in a particular year and requires a one-to-one match. If the entire 10 percent is not obligated for these activities in one year, the excess balance may be reserved and used for the same activities in later years.
