Formula Grant 06D02526

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 awarded $3.102 million to the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program (CFDA 66.458) on April 1, 2026. This Formula Grant capitalization award funds the establishment and maintenance of a long-term financing mechanism through which SCDES will provide low-interest loans to numerous subrecipients for water infrastructure improvements. The funds will be deployed entirely as additional subsidies to eligible projects that reduce wastewater treatment works' vulnerability to flooding, fire damage, and natural disasters, or enhance resiliency to rapid hydrologic change, consistent with Section 603(c) of the Clean Water Act.

The award specifically targets emerging contaminants projects authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will support the rebuilding of more resilient wastewater treatment infrastructure in South Carolina following damage from recent natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. While initially awarded as a Clean Water SRF capitalization grant, the funds will be transferred to and reprogrammed as a Drinking Water Emerging Contaminants Grant at SCDES's request, as permitted under Section 302 of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996. The grant period extends through March 31, 2033, and no federal subawards are included in this assistance agreement.