Sustainability and the CWSRF: A Best Practices Guide

Get an overview of state policies and practices, forwarding the goal of sustainably developed communities. You'll find policies, their program requirements and incentives, guidance on the planning process, project priority system structure, financial planning, and technical assistance. In conjunction with the CWSRF, applicable Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) policies are included. The EPA recommends big picture direction, such as focusing on revitalizing existing communities and infrastructure, as well as detailed facts: "for every 10% increase in forest cover of the source area, chemical and treatment costs decrease by 20%". Emphasis has been placed on utility goals to align with community priorities. Projects are evaluated on the basis of water quality, fiscal sustainability, and social criteria to choose the best solution. The Oregon program sets aside $3 million for funding planning projects while others prioritize funding construction on planning loans completed within 3 years. This helps disadvantaged and small communities. Failing septic and decentralization are many rural issues; new treatment can lead to inefficient patterns and water quality issues. Learn from the Minnesota case study who uses a hierarchy to analyze the best approach to fixing failed wastewater treatment systems, ensuring all alternatives are considered. Read from states like Arizona who encourage coordination across funding sources by creating workshops engaging in the community needing funding, New York which has a centralized database to obtain funding, and Kentucky which creates policy to bring government agencies of water, transportation and housing together to best plan for future development. CWSRF programs will either require or assist communities in making capital improvement plans inclusing comprehensive alternatives analysis and asset management plans to ensure informed decisions. Looking towards a more financially stable wastewater system, CWSRF programs will limit growth the program is willing to fund, focusing on repairing, replacing, and upgrading infrastructure. Likewise, the polluted areas of urban Brownfields sites can be redeveloped by coordinating with Brownfileds RLFs to reach common goals.