The Water Facilities Funding Program is home to the nation's most efficient Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and  the Drinking Water Funding Section; which includes the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program, the Water Supply Restoration (WSRP), and the operator Certification Program (OCP).

The wastewater program began in 1957 with the Federal construction grants program. This program had a major impact on wastewater management in Florida. From relatively modest beginnings in 1957, with a grant to the City of Naples for $74,000, the program accelerated dramatically with the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. During the next 16 years Florida received an average of $125 million grant dollars per year. Federal allotments to the State of Florida have totaled over $2 billion dollars. When the grant applicants' local share is taken into account, over $3.1 billion dollars was spent for construction of needed wastewater management facilities.

Amendments to the Clean Water Act have since phased out the grant program and replaced it with the SRF program. The first loans to the Clean Water SRF were made in 1989 to the City of Tampa for $17,928,000. The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 established a Drinking Water SRF program to protect the safety of drinking water. The Drinking Water SRF made its first grant in August 1998 to Lloyd Water Works, and its first loan to Tradewinds Utilities in October 1998.

The Safe Drinking Water Act also required the development of Operator Certification guidelines, specifying the minimum standards for certification of the operators of community and nontransient noncommunity public water systems. These guidelines were published on February 5, 1999.  The Operator Certification program was transferred back to DEP in October 1997.

The Water Supply Restoration Program began in 1983 in response to the ethylene dibromide contamination in Central Florida. The program was transferred to the Water facilities Funding in 1996. Further information on individual Water Facilities Funding programs can be obtained by selecting a program from the list shown to the right.

Additional Information

Sponsors of drinking water or wastewater projects that are seeking federal and/or state assistance can now provide information for projects here.  This information will be reviewed by the various funding programs and the most appropriate program for each project will be assigned the lead role. A representative from that program will contact you with information on program requirements, timeframes, and funding levels. For more information on available funding, see the Florida Rural Water Association's brochure.