Connecticut State Department of Public Health

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Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects

The annual Call for Projects is issued via e-mail to all PWSs eligible to receive DWSRF loans, municipal Chief Elected Officials and local Directors of Health. The Call for Projects is also posted on the DPH Drinking Water Section’s (DWS) website. The solicitation period for annual PPL projects runs for approximately 60-90 days. PWSs are encouraged to submit projects which promote green infrastructure and energy or water efficiency. Please refer to the Green Project Reserve webpage from more information and to find the "Green Project Information Form" and guidance.

Call for Projects

The annual Call for Projects notice announces the deadline by which Eligibility Applications must be received in order to be considered for inclusion on the annual Project Priority List (PPL). The PPL details the projects to which the DPH is expecting to commit the available DWSRF funds for the state fiscal year. Applications received after that deadline will be assigned appropriate priority points according to the Priority Ranking System and periodically (expected to be done quarterly) added to the DPH’s Comprehensive Project List (CPL). The CPL is essentially a “waiting list” for funding. Occasionally, projects on the PPL get delayed or withdrawn from funding, or otherwise bypassed, which opens those funds up to projects on the CPL. The highest-ranking project(s) on the CPL that are ready to proceed are then moved to the PPL to replace the delayed or withdrawn project(s). In the event that funding does not become available for a CPL project during the course of the year, all CPL projects will be considered for inclusion on the following year’s PPL if they are ready to proceed.  

Eligibility Application

PWSs must submit an Eligibility Application for each independent DWSRF project. A project’s eligibility for funding, its priority ranking point score and its readiness to proceed is based on the information submitted with this application. Please note, this application is for eligibility and inclusion in DPH’s Intended Use Plan; it is not the application for a loan from the DWSRF program. If you have a project which proposes to consolidate or connect to another PWS or connect private wells with water quality or quantity issues, please complete and attach the appropriate form(s) to the Eligibility Application.

For an emergency power generator project with a total project cost of less than $100,000, please visit the Emergency Power Generator Program webpage. A different Eligibility Application is required for projects seeking funding through this program. A Small Loan Program is available for non-construction projects if you have with a total project cost of less than $100,000. This program is intended for the purchase and installation of drinking water equipment and will follow similar procedures that have been used within the Emergency Power Generator Program. A different Eligibility Application is required for projects seeking funding through this program.  
Review and Ranking of Projects

The DWS reviews project Eligibility Applications for completeness and eligibility for DWSRF funding. A Priority Ranking System (PRS) established by the DPH and approved by the EPA is used to review each project. The total points assigned to each project based on this PRS along with each project’s readiness to proceed will be used to prepare the Project Priority List. This PRS is included in the annual Intended Use Plan. If you have any questions, contact the DPH DWSRF Unit.

For SFY 2025, the DWSRF program has introduced an additional element for evaluating affordability and qualification of a project for the Disadvantaged Community Assistance Program (DCAP). The Disadvantaged Community Index (DCI) evaluates several metrics and provides a score which is used as part of the project ranking. DCI scores can be found using the GIS tool provided below.

Project Examples

For some ideas of eligible and ineligible projects, please view our SRF Project Examples document.  The DWSRF program may be able to fund the planning phase, design phase, and construction phase of an eligible drinking water project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clarified funding for service line replacements on private property. The DWSRF program may fund the complete service line replacement, regardless of pipe material and ownership of the property on which the service line is located. Please refer to their May 9, 2016 memo for more information.

Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List

The DPH prepares an annual Intended Use Plan (IUP) that identifies how the State intends to use the DWSRF funding available for that year. The IUP is provided to the EPA as part of the DPH’s annual capitalization grant application for federal DWSRF funds. The DPH is federally required to solicit meaningful public input when each IUP is developed. The DPH is also required by State law to hold a public hearing on the draft Project Priority List (PPL) that is included in the IUP. The DPH publishes the draft IUP and PPL for a 30-day public comment period followed by a public hearing. The DPH periodically amends the annual IUP to add new funding applications to the annual IUP’s Comprehensive Project List after the annual IUP has been finalized. These amendments are posted to this website for a 30-day public comment period before they are finalized. Projects on the Comprehensive Project List are eligible to receive funding if there is a surplus of DWSRF funds available, or if a project on the annual IUP’s PPL is bypassed, and they are ready to proceed during the State Fiscal Year. Projects on the Comprehensive Project List are prioritized based on the priority ranking score.

Draft SFY 2025 IUP - Public Hearing

The public hearing on the State Fiscal Year 2025 IUP and PPLs will be held on September 26, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. This will be a remote meeting via Microsoft Teams. All interested parties will have an opportunity to provide both oral and written testimony. For additional information, please click the links below:

Prior Years’ Intended Use Plans and Project Priority Lists

The IUPs and PPLs for State Fiscal Years 2016 through 2024 are available below.

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016