Response to Emergency Situations Affecting Public Water Systems (SDWA 1442(b))

To assist in responding to and alleviating emergency situations affecting public water systems. Pursuant to Section 1442(b) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), this assistance program provides grant funding for projects and activities in emergency situations affecting public water systems that are necessary for preventing, limiting, or mitigating a substantial danger to public health and that would not be taken without this emergency assistance. Eligible applicants include States or publicly owned water systems where the Administrator has made an Emergency Determination under SDWA section 1442(b). Funding is anticipated to be for projects and activities that support SDWA compliance, including: (1) operations and maintenance of facilities; (2) building technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity; (3) debt relief; (4) meeting the requirements of federal enforcement actions, including emergency administrative orders; (5) establishing alternative sources of drinking water and/or; (6) making capital and managerial improvements, including planning, design and construction, as necessary, to return facilities to conditions in which publicly owned water systems can feasibly sustain their operations. In FY 2025 funding priorities will continue to be for projects and activities in emergency situations affecting public water systems that are necessary for preventing, limiting, or mitigating a substantial danger to public health.