Clean Watershed Needs Survey

Submissions:

Please submit your completed survey sheets electronically to Maine.CWSRF.Grants@maine.gov

Deadline: 5:00 pm on or before December 28, 2022

Electronic submission is preferred, but if it is not possible, please mail to the physical address specified in the General Survey Instructions.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is reaching out to all Maine municipal and quasi-municipal wastewater entities to gather information on the state’s wastewater infrastructure via our 2022 Clean Watersheds “Needs Survey” (CWNS). The last Official Survey was conducted in 2012, and now the Environmental Protection Agency has launched their request for information to benefit of the state and its communities.

This survey is crucial because it allows the Department to provide the gathered wastewater needs information to both the Executive and Legislative branches of state and federal government, thus justifying funds for both the state match in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program and State bonds or sustainable funding mechanisms for grants. We need 100% participation from all publicly owned treatment works and satellite collection systems to secure the needed funding for wastewater infrastructure in Maine. Even if your system has no documented needs, please complete the Facility Information and User Rate Information portions of the survey.

Please note:

  • Costs must be supported by acceptable documentation.
  • CWNS has detailed instructions on how to fill out the information on your facility, financial status, and wastewater needs. We encourage you to use any Asset Management Plans or Fiscal Sustainability Plans or Capital Improvement Plans (if you have generated them previously) to assist you while evaluating your needs.
  • The federal funding formula for the State of Maine will change depending on each State's need.
    • The Department will only accept applications for funding future project requests for those who respond to the 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS).
    • Surveys completed and which then come to the Department with a funding request that was listed as a need will receive 5 environmental points in the ranking process.
    • IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE SURVEY, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY PRINCIPAL FORGIVENESS FUNDING FROM THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. While you would still be eligible to request funding in the form of loans, you will miss an opportunity for an available $3.5M-$4M in base SRF funding PF and $8M in supplemental (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) funding PF per year.

Questions?

Please contact Robert Hartley at (207) 881-9490 or Patricia Korbet at (207) 287-7805 or email Maine.CWSRF.Grants@maine.gov.

CWNS Information and Form