Financing Nonpoint Source Water Quality Projects Through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund is the United States' largest source of continuing financing for water quality projects. The 50 state managed funds are specifically authorized to, among other things, finance nonpoint source water quality projects that implement the states' nonpoint source water quality management plans that they have developed pursuant to §319 of the federal Clean Water Act. Since the Clean Water State Revolving Fund's inception, the states have been gradually increasing its use to finance nonpoint source water quality projects. The nation's Clean Water Action Plan1 has added increased emphasis to this effort by setting a goal of devoting at least 10% of the funds available to nonpoint source water quality projects by the year 2001.This paper will:describe the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program;provide the reader with a picture of the magnitude of the funding that has been and continues to be available;describe the steps that are typically necessary for a state to be able to effectively use its Clean Water State Revolving fund to finance nonpoint source water quality projects;Discuss why the state water pollution control revolving funds are an attractive source of financing for nonpoint source water quality projects;Discuss alternative methods that a project owner might use to repay a loan from a state water pollution control revolving fund;provide links to fact sheets that document the wide variety of watershed projects that can be financed with loans from state water pollution control revolving funds.