Wastewater Grant Funding Evaluations

Administration of federal grants programs can be challenging, including the need to document compliance with all grant terms and conditions, assess the physical progress of funded construction projects, and ensure compliance with applicable federal regulations. To help ensure successful implementation of its Community Grants Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Wastewater Management contracted with ERG to provide support.

Much of ERG’s support for this program has focused on conducting onsite evaluations or desktop reviews to verify and document compliance with grant agreement and regulatory requirements. For example, we have evaluated the physical progress of construction and grantee compliance with their EPA grant agreements; evaluated grantee procurement systems and compliance with Disadvantaged Enterprise Rules and federal procurement regulations; and conducted financial management reviews to verify compliance with EPA’s cost principles and statutory cost-share requirements. ERG’s support has also included monitoring grantee compliance with Environmental Review and National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) decisions and assessing federal crosscutter compliance. We develop and evaluate NEPA documents for each grant action, and we review and document the applicability of approximately 20 federal cross-cutting environmental statutes and executive orders, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Executive Orders regarding floodplain management and wetlands. In addition, we developed and implemented a streamlined process to assess Environmental Review requirements for EPA grant actions, and we developed training and guidance to promote streamlined consistent NEPA reviews and consultations across all Community Grant Program projects.