Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant

This EC-SDC funding is an opportunity to help private, public, and non-profit water systems serving small and/or disadvantaged communities improve their drinking water by carrying out projects and activities to address emerging contaminants (EC). TDEC is focusing this grant effort on the following goals:

• Support disadvantaged communities with an ATPI of 50 or less that want to improve their drinking water by carrying out projects and activities to address emerging contaminants (EC).
• Support rural and small communities with a population of 10,000 or fewer.

Eligible grant entities will complete a grant application within SWIG’s Grants Management System (GMS). The grant application will establish the items needed for a complete application. All grant applications must be submitted by the announced deadline.

The Grant Manual contains additional information and guidance for grant applicants and partners. Other useful information may include:

• Contaminant Candidate List 5 - CCL 5

To meet EPA EC-SDC grant requirements, TDEC SWIG developed a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) specific to PFAS sampling under this program. The QAPP is under review by the EPA and will be uploaded once approval is received. The EC-SDC QAPP outlines all PFAS sampling requirements, including EPA Methods 533 and 537.1, testing acceptance criteria, lab and field documentation, reporting, sampling design, chain of custody, quality control, oversight procedures, and data validation standards.

The QAPP developed by TDEC for this grant applies only to PFAS sampling. If a project includes sampling for other CCL contaminants, the grantee must prepare a separate QAPP and obtain EPA approval before sampling begins. Additional EPA guidance for QAPP development can be found on the EPA website.

Eligible entities are private, public, and non-profit water systems serving small and/or disadvantaged communities. Eligibility is determined by the target beneficiaries defined below:

• SWIG defines a "disadvantaged community” as one with an Ability to Pay Index (ATPI) of 50 or less, as determined by the latest available index.

OR

• A “small community” is defined as a community with a population of 10,000 or fewer individuals, according to EPA standards based on population size served for public drinking water systems.

Grant applicants are responsible for overseeing and monitoring their grant activities. They are also responsible for submitting progress updates as requested by SWIG and managing the scope of services in the grant contract. For additional information about oversight, monitoring, and reporting requirements, see the Funding Conditions section of this grant manual.

In accordance with the statutory eligibility under section 1459A of SDWA (SDWA § 1459A(b)(2), 42 U.S.C. § 300j-19a(b)(2)) eligible actions for EC funding may include, but are not limited to, the following categories for addressing EC:

1.     Research and Testing

2.     Planning and Design to Address EC

3.     Treatment of EC

4.     Source Water Activities Related to EC

5.     Storage

6.     Water System Restructuring, Consolidation, or Creation

7.     Providing Households Access to Drinking Water Services

8.     Public Communication, Engagement, and Education

9.     Workforce Development

Funding

With this grant offering, $39,839,000 is available for the EC-SDC grant program. SWIG anticipates awarding between 8 and 25 grant awards in the State FY 2025, depending on the project types submitted. TDEC is not designating a certain proportion of the available funding by project type. Please note that TDEC may select parts of a grant proposal to fund and may offer to fund less than the eligible grant amounts or a smaller amount than requested in the application. TDEC has set the following budget maximums and grant contract terms for funding through the EC-SDC grant program:

Grant applicants must consider proposal budget maximums and match requirements when developing and submitting proposals.

Match Requirements

A proposal’s total project budget is the sum of the grant award plus their match. Match will be applied to the total project budget for each reimbursement request. A 10% match is required for all EC-SDC grants. If applying for the proposal budget maximum, the breakdown of grant funds (state) and match funds (local) would be as follows:

Cash, forced labor, and in-kind services to offset expenditures are eligible to meet match requirements. Cash may consist of financial assistance grants and loans, cash reserves, revenue bonds, and public-private partnerships or sponsors. In-kind contributions mean the value of non-cash contributions that may consist of goods or services, benefit a federally assisted project, and are contributed by a third party without charge. These may include project owner labor, equipment services, or material contributions. SWIG will consider using in-kind match contributions provided supporting documentation, like an individual accountability report, submitted with the grant application. During the reimbursement process, further documentation will need to be provided indicating the in-kind value of the project and tracked throughout the contract term.

Upcoming Grant Workshops

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is pleased to announce the upcoming Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) guidance sessions. These sessions will cover the grant eligibility, deliverable expectations, and a guided walkthrough of the application process. The dates and times for these webinars will be announced at a later date.  

Attendees may participate virtually via webinar. 

Upcoming Workshop schedule:

Workshop #1: 

To be announced  

Workshop #2: 

To be announced