This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) to the state of texas to implement resources and priorities to help address per- and polyfluoroalkyl…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 awarded the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) a $55.125 million formula grant under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Small and Underserved Communities Emerging Contaminants Grant Program (CFDA 66.442) on September 1, 2025. The award extends through August 31, 2030, and funds initiatives to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in drinking water systems serving small and disadvantaged communities across Texas. TWDB will deliver a comprehensive suite of water infrastructure and technical support services, including research and testing of emerging contaminants, planning and design activities for treatment systems, installation of treatment infrastructure, source water protection activities, water system restructuring and consolidation projects, household water access improvements, technical assistance to public water systems, and workforce training support.

Implementation will occur through subawards issued to eligible small and disadvantaged municipalities and public water systems throughout Texas. Deliverables encompass both capital infrastructure projects—such as water treatment plant upgrades and system modifications—and programmatic services including household water quality testing, outreach and education initiatives, and technical assistance supporting Safe Drinking Water Act compliance. This formula grant structure enables TWDB to distribute federal resources equitably across underserved communities throughout the state, ensuring targeted support to systems lacking resources to independently address emerging contaminant challenges and water infrastructure deficiencies.

This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) to the state of texas to implement resources and priorities to help address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and emerging contaminant challenges and target resources to communities most in need of assistance to ensure that no community is left behind with unsafe, inadequate water. Texas will implement projects such as research and testing; planning and design to address emerging contaminates; treatment of emerging contaminants; source water activities related to emerging contaminants; storage; water system restructuring, consolidation, or creation, providing households access to drinking water services; and technical assistance with the use of this award funding. Activities:the activities include projects and activities to address emerging contaminants (ECS) in small or disadvantaged communities, including but not limited to research and testing; planning and design to address emerging contaminates; treatment of emerging contaminants; source water activities related to emerging contaminants; storage; water system restructuring; providing households access to drinking water services; technical assistance; outreach and education; and workforce or training support to public water systems (PWS) in addressing emerging contaminants. Subrecipient:future workplans for this grant will include funding for activities for planning, design, and construction projects issued to small or disadvantaged municipalities to address emerging contaminants which are considered subawards.outcomes:this agreement is to an eligible state or territory to implement a program to provide assistance to address emerging contaminants in drinking water to small or disadvantaged communities. Funds are to carry out projects and activities needed for public water systems to comply with the safe drinking water act, programs to provide household water quality testing, activities for a state to respond to a drinking water contaminants, and activities that benefit the impacted communities. The anticipated deliverables include outreach to systems identified in existing small or disadvantaged communities (SDC) list to confirm interest and project descriptions for emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities (EC-SDC) program; outreach directed to systems identified by the mapping project as potentially meeting the eligibility criteria for EC-SDC; direct outreach to systems identified as serving 10,000 or less; solicitation of new projects for the EC-SDC program; invitations to systems to submit full financial applications; commitment and closing on funds for projects; projects beginning planning, acquisition, design and/or construction of EC-SDC projects. The expected outcomes include increased identification of public water systems serving small or disadvantaged communities that have emerging contaminants and need additional technical, managerial, and financial capacity; increased accessibility to texas water development board funding options to assist small or disadvantaged communities; reduction in the population that is served by a water system threatened by emerging contaminants and that benefit from the federal investments in drinking water infrastructure improvements to respective communities. The intended beneficiaries include residents in public water systems identified as small or disadvantaged in the state of texas. Direct beneficiaries of this program include all state residents and occupants, both permanent and temporary.