Clean Watershed Needs Survey
Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment

Clean Watershed Needs Survey (CWNS) and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) are initiated through a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and states to survey communities to identify any water quality and water quality related public health infrastructure investment needs over the next 20 years. These surveys are comprehensive assessments conducted every four years to determine the capital costs (or needs) to meet the water quality goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The results collected from these surveys are published in a Report to Congress to be used in allocating funds to states.

What is a “need”?

A “need” is defined as an unfunded project and its associated capital costs to address water quality and water quality related public health problems existing or expected to occur within the next 20 years of the survey.

For needs to be included in the survey reports, there must be a capital need of projects that address water quality and water quality related public health problems, documented solutions or cost estimates, and meet the survey’s documentation criteria. It should not include any non-capital costs such as, the Operation and Maintenance costs, studies or administrative costs.

 

Why are the CWNS & DWINSA important?

Our water infrastructure is aging and in need of repair to withstand the challenges of the 21st century. We must maintain and modernize water infrastructure to deliver clean drinking water and safely transport and treat wastewater. The CWNS and the DWINSA are used to determine the financial needs of the nation’s clean and drinking water infrastructure over the next 20 years. These needs surveys also guide distribution of annual federal funding to states.

CWNS is the only needs assessment available nationwide that collects the needs information of wastewater infrastructure, stormwater – grey and green infrastructure, non-point source pollution control projects including the needs for the decentralized wastewater (or septic) system.

In addition to the data collected from the CWNS being used by Congress and state legislatures in their budgeting efforts, the data is also used to help measure environmental progress, contribute to academic research, provide information to the public, and help local and state governments implement water quality programs.

The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments mandated that the EPA conduct assessments of the nation’s public water systems’ infrastructure needs every four years and use the findings to allocate DWSRF capitalization grants to states. The DWSRF was established to help public water systems obtain financing for improvements necessary to protect public health and comply with drinking water regulations.

This data can influence the allocation of funds for future special grants or funding programs. For example, this data was used in determining the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal grants (OSG) program in FY 2021 as well as the FY 2023 DWRF Base Appropriations, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) General Supplemental, and the BIL Emerging Contaminants funds will be distributed to states based on an allotment formula derived from the 7th DWINSA released in April 2023.

In New Jersey, we use the needs assessment in our GAP analysis. The GAP analysis is a comparison of the future needs data with available funding resources, and aids in developing the CWSRF and the DWSRF funding budgets and packages.

Clean Watersheds Need Survey (CWNS)

Overview

The New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) encourages you to participate in the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (or CWNS) and is asking for your cooperation in collecting needs information of wastewater infrastructure, stormwater – grey and green infrastructure and non-point source pollution control projects including the needs for decentralized wastewater (or septic) systems.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), in partnership with the State of New Jersey and other states, surveys communities every four years to identify any water quality or public health-based capital needs (up to 20 years) and costs in your community.  The results are published in a Report to Congress, and it is used by Congress and state legislatures in their budgeting efforts.

Every four years, New Jersey State participates in CWNS and collects the information about:

  • Publicly owned wastewater collection and treatment facilities;
  • Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) control facilities;
  • Stormwater management activities;
  • Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control projects; and
  • Decentralized wastewater treatment facilities.

Information collected about these facilities and projects includes:

  • Estimated needs to address water quality or water quality related public health problems;
  • Costs and technical information;
  • Location and contact information;
  • Facility populations served, flow, effluent, and unit process information; and
  • NPS best management practices (BMPs).

Participating in the CWNS

To participate in the survey, first identify any water quality or public health-based capital needs (up to 20 years) and costs in your community that were not funded by the start of the survey period. Then, submit these community needs by completing the online survey form and uploading any supporting documentation describing your community’s new needs and costs.

CWNS online webpage registration and login instructions:

  1. Go to https://www.h2loans.com/public/needs-survey/login
  2. For your initial usage, please click on the “Click here to Register” button.
  3. Enter your registration information including your email and click “Log-In”.
  4. A confirmation email will be sent to you containing a list of all your surveys.
  5. To create a new survey, click the “Start New Survey” button.
  6. You must submit any open survey before you may create another.

If you have any questions about the CWNS or need assistance in filling out the form, our office will provide technical support. If you have identified your needs but lack the supporting cost documentation, our staff can provide alternative means of documenting these costs or assist you by using a cost estimation tool.  Please contact Ketan Patel or Kyle Carlson at 609-292-3114 or email at NJCWNS22@njdepwptest.net.

Small Community (Population ≤ 10,000)

Small Community (Population ≤ 10,000): Small communities that serve a residential population less than or equal to 10,000, may not have planning documents that address their infrastructure needs. Therefore, EPA has developed survey forms, that small communities can use to include their needs in the survey.

Existing planning documents: If cost estimates (or documents showing cost) already exist for projects at your facility, please upload the documents containing the estimates by logging in to https://www.h2loans.com/public/needs-survey/login. You may also submit the documents via email at NJCWNS22@njdepwptest.net, or call 609-292-3114 for further assistance.

Estimates certified by a local or state professional engineer: Use this small community form, complete the “PE Certified Cost Estimates section”, and have it signed by a local professional engineer (PE). If you do not have a local PE on the staff, please indicate so to request state PE certification. Finally, sign the “Local Official Certification” section and send (via mail) the completed and signed form. You may also submit the documents via email at NJCWNS22@njdepwptest.net, or call at 609-292-3114 for further assistance.

EPA’s cost estimation tools: Use this small community form and fill out the “Cost Estimation Tools” section. Finally, sign the “Local Official Certification” section and send (via mail) the completed and signed form. You may also submit the documents via email at NJCWNS22@njdepwptest.net, or call 609-292-3114 for further assistance.

Past Surveys

CWNS 2012:
CWNS is a collaborative effort among the States, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories (collectively referred to as “States”), and EPA. The State data collection procedures follows a set of guidelines and criteria for gathering, documenting and entering data. The CWNS 2012 official data collection period began from November 2009 and ended in December 2011. CWNS 2012 Report include the unfunded capital costs of treatment works projects that Address a water quality or a water quality-related public health problem existing as of January 1, 2012, or expected to occur within the next 20 years for POTWs; and meet the CWNS documentation criteria.

CWNS 2008:
In CWNS 2008 New Jersey State reported the total wastewater and stormwater management needs of $32.5 billion as of January 1, 2008 in the CWNS 2008 Report to Congress. This amount includes $8.7 billion for wastewater treatment plants, pipe repairs, and buying and installing new pipes; $8.2 billion for combined sewer overflow correction; and $15.6 billion for stormwater management. Small communities (population < 10,0000) have documented needs of $2.6 billion. In addition to the $32.5 billion in wastewater and stormwater needs, New Jersey reported other documented needs for nonpoint source pollution prevention ($1.8 billion) and decentralized wastewater (septic) systems ($2.2 billion) are included in Appendix A of the report.

CWNS 2004:
In CWNS 2004 New Jersey documented needs totaling $13.1 billion as of January 1, 2004. This amount includes $916.5 millions for wastewater treatment and collection systems, $396.8 million for combined sewer overflow corrections, $5.5 billion for stormwater management and urban runoff control, $4.2 billion for nonpoint source pollution prevention and $125 million for decentralized wastewater (septic) systems.

Drinking Water Infrastructure Need Survey and Assessment (DWINSA)

Overview

In 1996, the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments mandated that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct assessments of the nation’s public water systems’ infrastructure needs every four years and use the findings to allocate Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF) capitalization grants to states.

The New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in conjunction with the EPA implement the Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) which is used to determine the financial needs of the nation’s drinking water infrastructure over the next 20 years. This Needs Survey guides the distribution of annual federal funding to states through the DWSRF.

Each state that participates will survey water systems in their state to determine the infrastructure need. Examples of these infrastructure needs projects include the installation of new drinking water infrastructure and the rehabilitation, expansion, or replacement of existing infrastructure.

Needs for each state are submitted to the EPA who compiles the data and provides it to Congress. Congress will use that data to allocate funds to the states. Past surveys and fact sheets can be found on the EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) website.

Types of projects and needs:

  • Types of projects
    • Source
    • Treatment
    • Storage
    • Transmission/distribution
    • Other (SCADA systems, emergency generations, security, etc)
  • 3 Elements of an acceptable project
    • Necessity
    • Feasibility
    • Commitment
  • Unallowable Projects
    • Future growth
    • Operation and Maintenance
    • Water rights
    • Projects solely for conducting studies

DWINSA Survey Implementation

Systems being surveyed include all large systems, a random sample of medium community water systems, a national random sample of small community water systems and a national sample of not-for-profit non-community water systems.

System Breakdown

  • All water systems serving more than 100,000 people are surveyed.
  • A random representative sample of water systems serving 3,301 to 100,000 people are surveyed.
  • A national sample of small water systems serving 3,300 and under are also surveyed by EPA and their consultants.

“Weight” of each system

  • Large systems have a weight of 1 because all large systems participate in the survey and their need is not representative of any other system.
  • Since a representative sample of medium systems is utilized, the systems sampled under the Need Survey have a higher weight.

Prior to each surveying, New Jersey intends on sending emails out to systems to provide notice of the upcoming survey and inform them to have documentation ready for a seamless survey collection.

The EPA sends data collection instruments to each state for distribution to systems to begin field surveying for the Needs Survey.

NJDEP assists via the following methods:

  • Emails the survey package to systems
  • Call systems to ensure participation and provide instructions
  • Provide technical assistance
  • Call systems that do not return the surveys by a certain date (anything over 30 days)
  • Review the submitted survey packages and documents
  • Discuss the results with EPA

Lead Service Lines

America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 mandates that the EPA evaluate and include the cost to replace lead service lines (LSLs) in the drinking water infrastructure needs survey.

In an optional questionnaire, systems are asked to provide information on the number of service lines in their system (whether owned by the system, the customer, or jointly owned by both the system and the customer) and what they know about the service line’s construction materials and connectors. This information is utilized in understanding the spectrum of potential lead service lines throughout the country.

Example Questionnaire Questions:

Documentation

Water system project documentation is needed to ensure that projects are necessary, feasible, and have commitment. Project documentation can include:

  • Independent Documentation
    • Data that was generated independent of the survey
      • Capital improvement plans
      • Engineer’s estimate for a specific project
      • Sanitary survey report
  • Survey-Generated Documentation
    • Documentation specifically written for the survey by the system or the system’s engineer, or by the state
      • Should include a description of the project and why the project is needed
      • Must be signed and dated
      • Can be used to supplement or clarify a project that has independent documentation
  • Planning Documents
  • Capital Improvement Plans
  • Asset Management Plans
  • Engineering Assessments
  • Intended Use Plans
  • Monitoring Results

Questions, Comments?
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