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What You Need
to Know Regarding Grants for Vulnerability Assessments & Related Security
Improvements at Large Drinking Water Utilities
Updates for Grant Applicants/Recipients:
Below are announcements for recipients of the large drinking water vulnerability
assessment grants. Please check this listing as new information will be
added.
- CHANGES TO "Request for Applications from Large Privately-Owned
Community Drinking Water Utilities" dated July 29, 2002, online
at www.epa.gov/safewater/security/rfa_private_grants.pdf
A. Under Indirect Costs on page 15, delete the sentence and the
first web site immediately after "Note on Allowable Costs for
this grant program" and replace them with the following:
Note on Allowable Costs for this grant program: The cost principles
for awards under this program will be found in OMB Circular A-122
for nonprofit recipients and in the Federal Acquisition Regulations
(FAR) for profit makers. The related information may be viewed on
these web sites:
OMB Circular A-122:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a122/a122.html
Federal Acquisition Regulations:
http://www.arnet.gov/far/loadmainre.html
B. On page 20, item 4, change (a) by adding a few words before the close
parenthesis, italicized below, to read as follows:
(a) Request funds based on the recipient's immediate disbursement
requirements by presenting an EPA-ACH Payment Request to your EPA
Servicing Finance Office (see EPA-ACH Payment System Recipient's
Manual for additional information, which will be sent to everyone
awarded a grant under this program).
C. Item 9 on page 21 is to be entirely deleted and replaced with:
9. In accordance with EPA guidance, OMB Circular No. A-122, and the
Federal Acquisition Regulations, as appropriate, the recipient agrees
that it will not use assistance funds (Federal or non-Federal share)
for lobbying or political activities.
D. Add the following to page 21 under ADMINISTRATIVE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS TO BE APPLIED TO THESE GRANTS as a new item:
10. In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act
of 1995, P.L. 105-65, 109 Stat. 691, the recipient affirms either that:
(a) it is not a nonprofit organization described in Section 501(c)(4)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; –OR–
(b) it is a nonprofit organization described in Section 501(c)(4) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 but does not and will not engage
in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying
Disclosure Act of 1995.
- IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING CLOSURE OF APPLICATION PERIOD
FOR GRANTS TO LARGE PUBLICLY OWNED WATER SYSTEMS:
The following announcement applies only to large publicly owned
water systems and does not apply to grant programs covering other
designations and sizes of water systems.
Because of the requirements imposed by the recently-enacted Public
Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of
2002, the Agency will continue to accept grant applications from
large publicly owned community water systems until August 9, 2002.
Applications not received by close of business on this date may
not be awarded under this program and will be held for possible
later action, pending availability of funds.
Utilities that are contemplating applying for these grants should
immediately contact the EPA Regional contact person listed in the
March 28 Request for Grant Applications to discuss their intentions
to apply. This is necessary to ensure the application is received
at both EPA Headquarters and in the appropriate EPA Regional Office
on time and in good order.
- Firms have been selected to become
trainers on the vulnerability assessment methodology for water infrastructure
protection (pdf, 29 KB). Sandia
National Laboratory, under an Interagency Agreement between the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Energy,
will provide training to selected firms in the performance of a vulnerability
assessment methodology – known as Risk Assessment Methodology for
Water Utilities (RAM-WSM).
- Question: Under what circumstances can I be reimbursed for training
in performing vulnerability assessments?
Answer: At the present time, if your Utility has received a grant for
performing a vulnerability assessment and related work under this program,
you can expend a reasonable amount of grant funding to receive vulnerability
assessment training. Your training must comply with the elements of
a satisfactory vulnerability assessment as described in the Request for
Applications. (The grant program does not reimburse consultants' and
contractors' costs for this training.) Reimbursement for this training
is only available to large water utilities performing work under these
grants, at the present time. Other training support programs may be made
available to medium and small Utilities at a later date.
- Question: We attended the three day training "Risk Assessment
Methodology for Water (RAM-WSM)" offered by the Awwa Research
Foundation and taught by Sandia National Laboratory in late 2001/early
2002. Does this training meet your criterion of "demonstration
of qualifications" for our personnel to carry out all of the
elements of a satisfactory VA and to qualify for security planning
grant money?
Answer: These three day classes were funded by the USEPA, were taught
by Sandia National Laboratory personnel, and were based on the methodology
for the conduct of vulnerability assessments at drinking water utilities
developed as a project with the Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF). These
classes provided attendees with acceptable qualifications to conduct a
satisfactory vulnerability assessment as identified in the USEPA
"Security Planning Grants for Large Drinking Water Utilities."
Please cite the personnel from your organization that attended these
training sessions, and attach a copy of their training certificates
signed by the Sandia instructors and the AwwaRF personnel present at
the training class.
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