[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11287-11289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03756]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2020-0282; FRL-10019-31-OW]


State Formula Allocations for Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse 
Grants

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
allocation formula for the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse 
Municipal Grants Program as required by the Clean Water Act (CWA). EPA 
is required to establish a formula to allocate proportional shares of 
the amount appropriated to state entities to fund actions that will 
help manage combined sewer overflows, sanitary sewer overflows, and 
stormwater. EPA was directed to develop a formula based on the relevant 
infrastructure needs submitted in the latest Clean Watersheds Needs 
Survey (CWNS) along with additional information considered appropriate 
by the EPA Administrator. A summary of the formula is included in this 
document. This document reflects EPA's consideration of public comments 
received in response to its August 4, 2020 Federal Register 
publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please 
contact Michael Goralczyk, Office of Water (mail code 4204M), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-7347; or email: 
[email protected] (preferred).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Statutory Language for the Allocation Formula
III. Allocation Formula
IV. Data Sources for the Allocation Formula

I. Background

    The America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 aims to 
improve water quality, expand infrastructure investments, enhance 
public health, increase jobs, and bolster the economy. Section 4106 of 
the AWIA amended Section 221 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to 
reauthorize the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants 
Program. This amended statute directs EPA to award grants to the 
states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories (collectively 
referred to as ``states'') for the purpose of providing grants to a 
municipality or municipal entity for planning, design, and construction 
of:
    1. Treatment works to intercept, transport, control, treat, or 
reuse municipal combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer 
overflows (SSOs), or stormwater; and
    2. Any other measures to manage, reduce, treat, or recapture 
stormwater or subsurface drainage water.
    EPA announced a proposed formula and methodology in the Federal 
Register on August 4, 2020 (85 FR 47205), and requested public comment 
on the methodology of this allotment formula including the factors and 
data used in determining CSO, SSO, and stormwater infrastructure needs. 
The final formula announced in this document reflects EPA's 
consideration of public comments. EPA's response to comments is 
available at https://www.regulations.gov/, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2020-0282.

II. Statutory Language for the Allocation Formula

    According to the CWA, funds appropriated for this program shall be 
allocated to the states according to their total proportional needs for 
municipal CSOs, SSOs, and stormwater as identified in the most recent 
CWNS and any other additional information considered appropriate by the 
EPA Administrator. This is described in Section 221(g)(2) of the CWA:

``the Administrator shall use the amounts appropriated to carry out 
this section for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year thereafter 
for making grants to States under subsection (a)(1) in accordance 
with a formula to be established by the Administrator, after 
providing notice and an opportunity for public comment, that 
allocates to each State a proportional share of such amounts based 
on the total needs of the State for municipal combined sewer 
overflow controls, sanitary sewer overflow controls, and stormwater 
identified in the most recent detailed estimate and comprehensive 
study submitted pursuant to section 516 of this title and any other 
information the Administrator considers appropriate.''

    The CWNS includes documented infrastructure needs. However, the 
most recent CWNS in 2012 did not include complete CSO, SSO, and 
stormwater infrastructure needs for every state and territory. In order 
to equitably allocate appropriated funds based on existing 
infrastructure needs, as directed in the amended Section 221 of the 
CWA, it is appropriate to include additional factors to fully 
characterize needs for CSOs, SSOs, and stormwater management. EPA 
consulted with state representatives and EPA regional coordinators 
experienced in managing EPA grants at the state level on a series of 
supplemental factors. With the feedback of these partners, EPA selected 
three additional factors based on the common availability of data 
across the states and the ability of these factors to serve as 
surrogates for CSO, SSO, and stormwater infrastructure needs. The three 
additional factors are annual average precipitation, total population, 
and urban population. The rationale for these additional factors 
includes the following:
    (1) Annual average precipitation is a factor because higher amounts 
of precipitation lead to greater CSO, SSO, and stormwater 
infrastructure needs to manage greater flows.
    (2) Total population is a factor because the larger the population 
of a state, the more infrastructure is generally required to serve 
them.
    (3) Urban population is a factor because there are relatively 
higher CSO, SSO, and stormwater infrastructure needs in urban 
environments from increased impervious surfaces, which generate 
increased wet weather flows during precipitation events.
    When combined with the needs determined in the CWNS, these three 
factors improve the representation of the CSO, SSO, and stormwater 
infrastructure needs in each state. This collective approach for 
assessing CSO, SSO, and stormwater infrastructure needs is the basis 
for this proposal on how to derive an allocation formula for 
appropriating funds for this program.

III. Allocation Formula

    EPA will use the following methodology to allocate appropriated 
funds to the states for the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse 
Municipal Grant Program.

Methodology

    1. Reserve 1% of the federal appropriation for EPA's administrative 
expenses per Section 221(h) of the CWA.

[[Page 11288]]

    2. Allocate the remaining amount (federal appropriation minus EPA 
administrative set-aside) based on several factors to characterize the 
``need allocation'' of each state. In addition to the most recent CWNS, 
EPA chose additional objective factors to help characterize the 
infrastructure needs of each state, as permitted by CWA Section 
221(g)(2). EPA assigned weights to each of the factors in the 
allocation formula. The CWNS needs are weighted at 50% and the 
additional factors were weighted evenly to collectively account for the 
remaining 50%. The combination of the following factors forms the need 
allocation for each state.
    [ssquf] Clean Watersheds Needs Survey: This factor is included as 
the statute directs EPA to use the needs submitted pursuant to CWA 
Section 516. Each allocation year, EPA will use the latest available 
CWNS information that provides a comprehensive assessment of CSOs, 
SSOs, and stormwater infrastructure needs. This factor represents 50% 
of the need allocation as these needs were directly identified in the 
survey.
    [ssquf] Annual Average Precipitation: This factor is included to 
account for the volume of annual precipitation a state receives which 
suggests the amount of stormwater runoff that needs to be managed. This 
factor represents 16.67% of the need allocation.
    [ssquf] Total Population: This factor is included to represent the 
proportional need of each state's population size acknowledging that 
higher populations generally have greater infrastructure needs. This 
factor represents 16.67% of the need allocation.
    [ssquf] Urban Population: This factor is included to represent the 
needs that urban centers have for CSOs, SSOs, and stormwater management 
due to high concentrations of impervious surfaces. This factor 
represents 16.67% of the need allocation.
    3. Adjust the allocation proportions to ensure that no state 
receives an allocation below 0.5%. Any adjustments to raise states to 
this base allocation amount will be taken at a proportional basis from 
states that were above this base amount. Once adjustments are made to 
ensure that each state receives at least 0.5% of the remaining amount 
(federal appropriation minus EPA administrative set-aside), this 
allocation will be considered the final state allocation for the 
applicable fiscal year.
    In following this methodology, the results for each state's 
allocation proportion are shown in Table 1.

                 Table 1--State Entity Allocation Table
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                                                            Allocation
                      State entity                          percentage
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Alabama.................................................             1.0
Alaska..................................................             0.5
American Samoa..........................................             0.5
Arizona.................................................             0.8
Arkansas................................................             0.7
California..............................................            10.6
Colorado................................................             1.0
Connecticut.............................................             2.2
Delaware................................................             0.5
District of Columbia....................................             1.3
Florida.................................................             2.7
Georgia.................................................             1.5
Guam....................................................             0.9
Hawaii..................................................             0.5
Idaho...................................................             0.5
Illinois................................................             2.7
Indiana.................................................             3.1
Iowa....................................................             0.8
Kansas..................................................             1.2
Kentucky................................................             2.1
Louisiana...............................................             1.4
Maine...................................................             0.6
Maryland................................................             2.7
Massachusetts...........................................             2.6
Michigan................................................             1.5
Minnesota...............................................             0.7
Mississippi.............................................             0.8
Missouri................................................             3.9
Montana.................................................             0.5
Nebraska................................................             1.3
Nevada..................................................             0.7
New Hampshire...........................................             1.0
New Jersey..............................................             5.7
New Mexico..............................................             0.5
New York................................................             6.4
North Carolina..........................................             1.3
North Dakota............................................             0.5
Northern Marianas.......................................             0.8
Ohio....................................................             7.0
Oklahoma................................................             0.8
Oregon..................................................             1.5
Pennsylvania............................................             3.5
Puerto Rico.............................................             0.9
Rhode Island............................................             0.9
South Carolina..........................................             0.8
South Dakota............................................             0.5
Tennessee...............................................             1.5
Texas...................................................             5.5
Utah....................................................             0.5
Vermont.................................................             0.5
Virgin Islands..........................................             0.5
Virginia................................................             2.1
Washington..............................................             1.8
West Virginia...........................................             1.3
Wisconsin...............................................             1.8
Wyoming.................................................             0.5
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IV. Data Sources for the Allocation Formula

    [ssquf] Clean Watersheds Needs Survey: The CWNS includes and 
documents identified capital investment needs for Sanitary Sewer 
Overflow Correction (Categories I-IV where states have shown a 
designated SSO need), Combined Sewer Overflow Correction (Category V), 
and Stormwater Management (Category VI). Information for this factor 
will be taken from the most recent published CWNS \1\ and will be 
updated accordingly.
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    \1\ Clean Watersheds Need Survey 2012 Report to Congress, 
January 2016. https://www.epa.gov/cwns/clean-watersheds-needs-survey-cwns-2012-report-and-data.
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    [ssquf] Annual Average Precipitation: The precipitation factor for 
each state is the annual average amount of precipitation collected from 
the past 10 years of data from the National Oceanographic and 
Atmospheric Association (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental 
Information, Climate at a Glance: Statewide Time Series. These data 
will be updated annually to form a 10-year rolling average.\2\ Due to 
data limitations, alternative data sources are to be used for the 
following states:
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    \2\ NOAA National Centers for Environmental information, Climate 
at a Glance: Statewide Time Series, accessed April 2020, https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/statewide/time-series.

--Hawaii: The past 10 years of data for annual average precipitation 
will be collected from the Hilo Area, Honolulu Area, Kahului Area, and 
Lihue Area from the Honolulu Forecast Office of NOAA.\3\ These sources 
constitute the most complete data set in the relevant timeframe and are 
considered the best available representation for Hawaii.
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    \3\ NOAA, Honolulu Forecast Office, Hilo Area, Honolulu Area, 
Kahului Area, and Lihue Area Data, https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=hnl.
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--District of Columbia: The past 10 years of data for annual average 
precipitation will be collected from the Washington Area from the 
Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office of NOAA. This is the most complete 
data set in the relevant timeframe and is considered the best available 
representation for the District of Columbia.\4\
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    \4\ NOAA, Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office, Washington Area 
Data, https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lwx.
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--Puerto Rico: The past 10 years of data for annual average 
precipitation will be collected from the San Juan Area and Ensenada and 
Morovis weather stations from the San Juan Forecast Office of NOAA. 
These sources constitute the most complete data set in the relevant 
timeframe and are considered the best available representation for 
Puerto Rico.\5\
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    \5\ NOAA, San Juan Forecast Office, San Juan Area and Ensenada, 
and Morovis Weather Station Data. https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sju.
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--American Samoa: The past 10 years of data for annual average 
precipitation will be collected from the Pago Pago Area from the Pago 
Pago Forecast Office of NOAA. This is the most complete data set in the 
relevant

[[Page 11289]]

timeframe and is considered the best available representation for 
American Samoa.\6\
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    \6\ NOAA, Pago Pago Forecast Office, Pago Pago Area Data, 
https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=samoa.
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--Guam: The past 10 years of data for annual average precipitation will 
be collected from the Guam Area from the Tiyan Forecast Office of NOAA. 
This is the most complete data set in the relevant timeframe and is 
considered the best available representation for Guam.\7\
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    \7\ NOAA, Tivan Forecast Office, Guam Area Data, https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=guam.
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--Northern Mariana Islands: The past 10 years of data for the annual 
average precipitation will be collected from the Guam Area from the 
Tiyan Forecast Office of NOAA. There are no available weather stations 
in the Northern Mariana Islands. However, the Northern Mariana Islands 
are covered by the Tiyan Forecast Office and Guam is located 
approximately 130 miles away. It has been determined that data from the 
Guam Area can be considered an acceptable surrogate for precipitation 
amounts in the Northern Mariana Islands.\8\
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    \8\ Ibid.
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--U.S. Virgin Islands: The past 10 years of data for the annual average 
precipitation will be collected from the Christiansted Airport and St. 
Thomas weather stations from the San Juan Forecast Office of NOAA. 
These sources constitute the most complete data set in the relevant 
timeframe and are considered the best available representation for the 
U.S. Virgin Islands.\9\
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    \9\ NOAA, San Juan Forecast Office, Christiansted Airport and 
St. Thomas Weather Station Data, https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sju.

    [ssquf] Total Population: Data for the total population factor will 
be from the most recent published U.S. Census Bureau decennial census. 
The initial allocation will be based on the 2010 U.S. Census and will 
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be updated accordingly.

--The states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico population data 
will be taken from the U.S. Census Bureau State Population Totals and 
Components of Change.\10\
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    \10\ U.S. Census Bureau, State Population Totals and Components 
of Change 2010-2019, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-state-total.html.
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--American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin 
Islands population data will be taken from the U.S. Census Bureau 
Island Area Tables.\11\
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    \11\ U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Island Area Tables, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2010/dec/2010-island-areas.html.

    [ssquf] Urban Population: The urban population factor for each 
state will be based on the available data from the most recent U.S. 
Census Bureau decennial census.\12\ The initial formula will be based 
on the 2010 U.S. Census and data will be updated as future decennial 
censuses are published. Urban population estimates for American Samoa, 
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not 
available through the Census. The following alternative data sources 
will be used and updated as needed.
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    \12\ U.S. Census Bureau, Census Urban and Rural Classification 
and Urban Area Criteria, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural/2010-urban-rural.html.

--American Samoa: Data from the Central Intelligence Agency World 
Factbook will be used. The percentage of the total population 
considered to be urban (currently 87.2%) will be multiplied by the 
total population.\13\
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    \13\ Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, American 
Samoa, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aq.html.
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--Guam: Data from the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook will 
be used. The percentage of the total population considered to be urban 
(currently 94.9%) will be multiplied by the total population.\14\
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    \14\ Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Guam, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gq.html.
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--Northern Mariana Islands: Data from the Central Intelligence Agency 
World Factbook will be used. The percentage of the total population 
considered to be urban (currently 91.8%) will be multiplied by the 
total population.\15\
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    \15\ Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Northern 
Mariana Islands, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cq.html.
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--U.S. Virgin Islands: Data from the Central Intelligence Agency World 
Factbook will be used. The percentage of the total population 
considered to be urban (currently 95.9%) will be multiplied by the 
total population.\16\
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    \16\ Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, U.S. Virgin 
Islands, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vq.html.

    Dated: January 25, 2021.
Andrew D. Sawyers,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2021-03756 Filed 2-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P