West Virginia Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund (DWTRF)
The West Virginia Legislature, at the 2023 Regular Session, passed House Bill 561, which transferred administration of the DWTRF from the West Virginia Department of Health (WVDH) to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) effective July 1, 2023. The DEP will be working in collaboration with the Office of Environmental Health Services (OEHS) to provide funding to necessary projects and to provide financial support to OEHS to carry out set-aside activities funded under Sections 1452 (g)(2)(A), (B), (C), and (D) and Sections 1452 (k)(1)(B), (C), and (D) of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. As a result, the DEP will be responsible for managing the DWTRF and Capacity Development Programs and providing the necessary funding from the set-asides to fund all eligible expenditures in support of the OEHS Environmental Engineering Division.
West Virginia State Code 16-13C had previously established the Department of Health & Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health (BPH) as the authority for administering the DWTRF to provide financial assistance to public water systems, to finance the cost of eligible infrastructure improvements needed to comply with the requirements of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and to protect public health.
The West Virginia Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund (DWTRF) established procedures and standards for project eligibility in accordance with the requirements of Federal and State law including the guidance from the EPA. The fund is intended to continue in perpetuity from loan repayments and administrative fees.
Typical DWTRF projects include water treatment plant upgrades, distribution and storage upgrades, and extensions of existing systems. Projects solely for economic growth, recreational and commercial facilities or projects solely for fire protection are not eligible for DWTRF assistance.
Water systems interested in obtaining DWTRF funds for a capital project complete preliminary application (link provided below). An application will also need to be submitted to the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council requesting a DWTRF loan and then be approved to pursue the proposed funding. The water system would then apply to DWTRF to be included in the next Project Priority List (PPL) as shown in the Intended Use Plan (IUP). The application submittal places the project on the PPL but does not commit the water system or DEP to a DWTRF loan. The PPL will be prioritized according to health, compliance, and affordability standards established in the IUP. Then, depending on the project's readiness to proceed, a binding letter of commitment would be issued. It is expected the project will close the construction loan within a year of receiving a DWTRF binding commitment.
The DWTRF loan manual contains a further description of the application and loan process plus the forms and procedures from start to finish with a DWTRF funded project. The Microsoft Word and Excel forms and templates are available for download upon request to any of the staff.
Below are links to documents available for public viewing.
WVDEP Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
Green Project Reserve Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund Project Lists
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Annual Reports - Archived
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Manual - 2013
DWTRF Project Environmental Reviews
West Virginia Department of Environmental ProtectionDrinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund601 57th Street, SECharleston, WV 25304Telephone: (304) 926-0499Fax: (304) 926-0463