Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Engineering Report Grants

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) administers the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Engineering Report Grants program. This initiative provides targeted support to small public water systems in Missouri, assisting them in developing engineering reports that evaluate potential improvements to their drinking water infrastructure. The funding is made available through the DWSRF capitalization grant additional subsidization allocation and is managed by the department's Financial Assistance Center. The primary objective of the Engineering Report Grants is to help small communities address issues related to new permit requirements, the need to provide safe drinking water, and planning for system consolidation or regionalization. Eligible communities use the grant funds to procure professional engineering services to generate plans or reports. These reports assess the current system, identify needed improvements, evaluate potential solutions, estimate costs, and recommend the most effective and cost-efficient alternatives. The final report must comply with Missouri Safe Drinking Water Law and be signed by a registered professional engineer in the state. Funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and applications are accepted throughout the year. The standard grant covers up to 80% of eligible costs, not exceeding $30,000, with the applicant responsible for the remaining 20%. However, disadvantaged communities may receive up to 100% coverage of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $37,500. A disadvantaged community is defined as having a population of 3,300 or fewer, a median household income no more than 75% of the state average, and user rates at or above 2% of the median household income. Eligible applicants include municipalities, counties, utility districts, and other political subdivisions or instrumentalities of the state that operate a permitted public drinking water system. The system must either serve fewer than 3,300 residents for system self-improvement, or be part of a consolidation or regionalization plan involving systems serving fewer than 3,300. Applicants proposing to serve households with unsafe wells are also eligible. To qualify, applicants must have no outstanding fees with the department, no existing reports on the same issues, and must commit to making a good faith effort to implement the report’s recommendations. Eligible expenses are limited to reasonable engineering services incurred during the project period and approved by the department. These must be directly related to producing a cost-effective and compliant engineering report. Ineligible costs include services performed prior to grant award, administrative and legal costs unrelated to the project scope, force account labor, and preparation of funding applications or permits. Engineering consultants must be procured using Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) processes as outlined in state and federal law. Applications can be submitted by email to fac@dnr.mo.gov or by mail to the Financial Assistance Center at the Division of Environmental Quality in Jefferson City, Missouri. Projects are prioritized based on the severity of the issues addressed, including Safe Drinking Water Act violations, infrastructure deficiencies, and the applicant’s technical and financial capacity. For further guidance, applicants are encouraged to contact the Financial Assistance Center at 573-751-1192 or email fac@dnr.mo.gov.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Financial Assistance Center for guidance.