A recent drinking water needs survey will help the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determine the distribution formula for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) grants for the fiscal years 2010 through 2013 budgets, according to an agency press release. The assessment documents anticipated costs for repairs and replacement of transmission and distribution pipes, storage and treatment equipment, and projects that are necessary to deliver safe supplies of drinking water.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, which is done every four years, reflects data collected in 2007 from states. According to the survey results, the nation’s water utilities will need to invest an estimated $334.8 billion over the next 20 years to deal with aging infrastructure.

Results from the assessment are used to develop a formula to distribute the agency’s annual DWSRF grants. The Safe Drinking Water Act established the DWSRF to help states provide grants to drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. Since the DWSRF program began in 1997, states have provided more than $15 billion in funding to utilities for infrastructure projects.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/needsurvey