Safe drinking water action grants

These grants are for local governments to provide safe drinking water to people living in areas that are or may be affected by contamination from hazardous waste sites.

Every even-numbered year, we work with local governments to understand the 10-year cost of critical cleanup work in Washington. Their responses inform our biennial budget request to the Governor and Legislature. Our grant managers coordinate applications for grants and loans that receive funding every two years in the approved biennial budget.

I want to...

Funding cycle

Amount of funding available: Established with each enacted capital budget
Funding allocated:
Grant award limit: None
Amount of matching funds required: 10 - 50 percent, but we may not fund all the eligible investigation costs

Application information

Applications are currently being accepted.

Applications will be accepted from:

Start date: Feb 18, 2020

End date: Mar 17, 2020

Who's eligible Eligible project types

For help choosing between area-wide groundwater investigation grants and safe drinking water grants, we have a focus sheet describing the differences.

Project types

Developing and replacing water supply sources, including pumping and storage facilities, source meters, and related equipment
Lines between major system components, including inter-ties with other water systems
Treatment equipment / facilities
Distribution lines from major system components to customers or service connections
Bottled water until a safe, permanent source is in place
Fire hydrants
Service meters
Project inspection, engineering, and administration
Individual service connections, including fees, if property owners provide a majority of the cost
Closing drinking water wells that are an environmental safety or health hazard under state law
Interim financing until local government issues revenue bonds
Costs the health department deems necessary to operate a system that complies with federal and state standards, or that are required in the coordinated water system plan standards
Costs we identify to protect a public water system from contamination or locate contamination sources

More information about this funding program

Cultural resource review

For ground-disturbing remedial actions to be eligible for grant funding, Ecology or another state or federal agency must consult with the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and affected Tribes before cleanup actions begin. Our cultural resource review webpage has more details about this requirement.

Contact information

For questions about area-wide groundwater investigation grants, please contact:

Angie Wirkkala
Toxics Cleanup Program Financial Services Manager
angie.wirkkala@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7219

For questions about SAW or EAGL, please contact the representative for your region:

Southwest Region
Dan Koroma
Remedial Action Grant Manager
daniel.koroma@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7219
Counties served: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Mason, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum.

Northwest Region
Lydia Lindwall
Remedial Action Grant Manager
lydia.lindwall@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6210
Counties served: Island, King, Kitsap, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom.

Central and Eastern Regions
Shanyese Trujillo
Remedial Action Grant Manager
shanyese.trujillo@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7199
Counties Served: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Yakima, Walla Walla, and Whitman.