Using Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 20% Green Project Reserve for Brownfield Redevelopment

Congress' intent in enacting the Green Project Reserve (GPR) for the 2010 Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is to direct State investment practices in the water sector to guide funding toward projects that utilize green or soft-path practices to complement and augment hard or gray infrastructure, adopt practices that reduce the environmental footprint of water and wastewater treatment, collection, and distribution, help utilities adapt to climate change, enhance water and energy conservation, adopt more sustainable solutions to wet weather flows, and promote innovative approaches to water management problems. Over time, GPR projects could enable utilities to take savings derived from reducing water losses and energy consumption, and use them for public health and environmental enhancement projects. Additionally, EPA expects that green projects will help the water sector improve the quality of water services without putting additional strain on the energy grid, and by reducing the volume of water lost every year.

Eligible nonpoint source projects implement a nonpoint source management program under an approved section 319 plan or the nine element watershed plans required by the 319 program.  Only the portions of a project that remediate, mitigate the impacts of, or prevent water pollution or aquatic or riparian habitat degradation should be funded. Where water quantity projects improve water quality (e.g. reduction of flows from impervious surfaces that adversely affect stream health, or the modification of irrigation systems to reduce runoff and leachate from irrigated lands), they would be considered to have a water quality benefit. In many cases, water quality protection is combined with other elements of an overall project. For instance, brownfield revitalization projects include not only water quality assessment and cleanup elements, but often a redevelopment element as well. Where the water quality portion of a project is clearly distinct from other portions of the project, only the water quality portion can be funded by the CWSRF.

Here is guidance - https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8_KPWB0jP6AMjlmMTc0ODQtZDg4NC00OTc5LWI4Y2MtOWUwOWU1MjgwMDhi