33 Miss. Code. R. 19-I
The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (SDWA) established the national Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, (P.L. 117-8) additionally amended Section 1452 of the SDWA and appropriated funds for emerging contaminants in drinking water with a focus on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This Intended Use Plan identifies the State of Mississippi's proposed use of Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 DWSRF Emerging Contaminants allotment of $9,568,000.
The DWSRF program allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make capitalization (Cap) grants to states to, in turn, provide low-cost loans to public water systems to help achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements. Accordingly, the State Legislature (through Section 41-3-16, MS Code of 1972 Annotated) created what is now called the Drinking Water Systems Improvements Revolving Loan Fund (DWSIRLF) Program, to receive the federal DWSRF capitalization grants from EPA, and to provide low-cost loans to the state's public water systems to finance needed infrastructure improvements. This legislation also allows the DWSIRLF, subject to the authority of State Law, to make loans that may utilize additional subsidization beyond standard DWSIRLF loans as well as setting appropriate criteria to determine eligible recipients.
That same legislation created the "Local Governments and Rural Water Systems Improvements Board" (Board), to oversee the administration of the DWSIRLF Program. The Mississippi State Department of Health (Department), as the state's drinking water primacy agency, supplies the staff and facilities necessary to administer the program. The Board is composed of the following nine (9) members: the State Health Officer, who shall serve as chairman of the Board; the Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority; the Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality; the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration; the Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors; the Executive Director of the Mississippi Municipal League; the Executive Director of the American Council of Engineering Companies; the State Director of the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development; and a manager of a rural water system. Each agency director may appoint a designee to serve in his or her place on the Board. The Governor appoints the rural water system manager. In the creation of the Program, it was the intent of the Legislature that the Board endeavor to ensure that the costs of administering the DWSIRLF Program are as low as possible in order to provide the water consumers of Mississippi with safe drinking water at affordable prices.
As a condition of receiving the DWSRF Cap grants, the SDWA requires that each state annually prepare an Intended Use Plan (IUP) designed to outline how a state will utilize DWSRF funds to assist in protecting public health.
The DWSIRLF BIL Emerging Contaminant (EC) Fund consists of federal funds. Federal funds are provided to the states in the form of awarded Cap grants. Each state's allotment of those grants is based on EPA's Needs Survey that is performed every four years. No State matching funds are required to be deposited into this Fund.
The basic framework under which the DWSIRLF Program operates is established by two documents. The first document is the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program Operating Agreement (Operating Agreement) between the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region IV. The current Operating Agreement was agreed to by both parties and approved on March 21, 2021. The Operating Agreement establishes the basic framework of the DWSIRLF that is not expected to change from year-to-year. The second document is the IUP which describes how the State of Mississippi will use the funding received from the EPA Cap grant which is received each year. The BIL EC IUP for FFY-2023 will accompany the Program's application to EPA for the FFY-2023 EC Cap Grant.
The amount of the FFY-2023 Cap Grant from EPA for Mississippi for BIL EC appropriation is $9,568,000. The Program intends to apply for set-asides as described in Section V. These funds must be used in the period of July 2023 through June 2026. As a condition of the FFY-2023 Cap Grant the program agrees to comply with DWSRF regulations, the general grant regulations at 40 CFR part 200, and specific conditions of the capitalization grant and to enter data into SRF Data System no less than quarterly. The FFY-2024 IUP will show in detail the goals (overall and five-year), the structure, and the financial status of the Program; the role of the set-aside activities within the state; and most importantly, the distribution of funds towards public water system improvements projects and the criteria used to determine their ranking within the priority system. Those desiring to receive a copy of this document may contact Jonathan Diaz, Program Support Specialist, at (601) 576-7518.
To ensure that the public has an ample opportunity to review and comment upon the IUP, the Department and the Board follows the requirements of the "Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law" prior to final submission of the IUP to EPA. A public notice period of at least twenty-five (25) days allows for review and comment before an oral proceeding. After adoption by the Board, a second filing with the Secretary of State's Office occurs; if no additional comments are received the IUP becomes law 30 days after the second filing.
Public notice will be given in The Clarion Ledger, a newspaper of statewide circulation, for written and oral comments on this IUP. An oral proceeding was held at 9:00 a.m. on March 21, 2024. A transcript of the oral proceeding, recording any comments and recommended solutions, will be submitted to the EPA along with the Final IUP. Those desiring to receive a copy of the oral proceeding transcript should contact Jonathan Diaz, Program Support Specialist, at (601) 576-7518. A copy of the "Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law" may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office and can also be found on the Mississippi State Department of Health's website at www.healthyms.com/dwsrf.
33 Miss. Code. R. 19-I