[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