The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced $3.6 billion in new funding under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to upgrade water infrastructure.
Combined with $2.6 billion announced earlier this month, this $6.2 billion in investments for Fiscal Year 2025 will help communities across the country upgrade water infrastructure that is essential to safely managing wastewater, protecting local freshwater resources and delivering safe drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.
This funding is part of a five-year, $50 billion investment in water infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — the largest investment in water infrastructure in American history, according to the EPA. To ensure investments reach communities that need them the most, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law mandates that a majority of the funding announced must be provided to disadvantaged communities in the form of grants or loans that do not have to be repaid.
“Water keeps us healthy, sustains vibrant communities and dynamic ecosystems, and supports economic opportunity. When our water infrastructure fails, it threatens people’s health, peace of mind, and the environment,” says EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic investment in water, EPA is working with states and local partners to upgrade infrastructure and address local challenges — from lead in drinking water, to PFAS, to water main breaks, to sewer overflows and climate resilience. Together, we are creating good-paying jobs while ensuring that all people can rely on clean and safe water.”
These Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will flow through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF and DWSRF), a long-standing federal-state water investment partnership. This multibillion-dollar investment will fund state-run, low-interest loan programs that address key challenges in financing water infrastructure. The announcement includes allotments for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Clean Water General Supplemental funds ($2.6 billion) and Emerging Contaminant funds ($225 million) and $800 million under the Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Fund.
The EPA aims to change the odds for communities that have faced barriers to planning and accessing federal funding through its Water Technical Assistance program, which helps disadvantaged communities identify water challenges, develop infrastructure upgrade plans and apply for funding. Communities seeking Water Technical Assistance can request support by completing the WaterTA request form. These efforts also advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
To read stories about how unprecedented investments in water from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit EPA’s Investing in America’s Water Infrastructure Storymap. To read more about additional projects, see EPA’s recently released Quarterly Report on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF projects.
For more information, including the state-by-state allocation of 2025 funding (pdf) and a breakdown of EPA SRF funding available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, visit the CWSRF website and DWSRF website. Additionally, the SRF Public Portal allows users to access data from both programs through interactive reports, dashboards and maps.
