- Funding Applications Accepted December thru January Annually
The Water Supply Program provides financial assistance to local governments for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of publicly owned water supply facilities throughout the State. This program helps to fund projects that address water supply related health problems, and to meet federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
The Water Supply Program funds are used to fund: upgrade water treatment facilities; well development; water storage tanks; water distribution facilities up to private property lines; consolidation of smaller water systems.
Project Selection Process: Projects are rated and ranked based on the requirements of Environment Article 9-423 and COMAR 26.03.09.06. Priority rankings are determined on the basis of the project benefits to: public health including acute, chronic or potential health problems; compliance with regulations or an MDE directive; safety; water system reliability; the financial capability of the applicant; previous efforts expended by the applicant to correct the problem; and the size of the community.
Project must be eligible under Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, conform to Smart Growth Criteria, located in a Priority Funding Area and be consistent with the County Water and Sewer Plan. In addition, projects must submit a water audit and water systems that serve a population greater than 10,000 must submit a water conservation plan.
Funding: The Water Supply Assistance program funds up to 87.5% of the total eligible project cost, but may not exceed $1.5 million per project. There is a 12.5% local match requirement, which may be funded through the Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund (DWRLF) Program. Applicants are encouraged to solicit funding through other State and federal agencies: U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program (RD) or the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). Grants are based on median household income of the community. Only applicants that have insufficient or limited financial capability are eligible. Costs for planning, engineering, and project administration are eligible for loans only. Applicants may be offered a combination of State grant and Drinking Water Revolving Loan to finance the project.
Contact: For additional information, please call (410) 537-3119.
