 |
Utah Administrative Code (Current through November 1, 2019) |
 |
R309. Environmental Quality, Drinking Water |
|
|
R309-705. Financial Assistance: Federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Program |
| R309-705-1. Purpose |
|
Latest version.
|
|
The purpose of this rule is to establish criteria for financial assistance to public drinking water system in accordance with a federal grant established under 42 U.S.C. 300j et seq., federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). |
| R309-705-2. Statutory Authority |
|
Latest version.
|
|
The authority for the Department of Environmental Quality acting through the Drinking Water Board to issue financial assistance for drinking water projects from a federal capitalization grant is provided in 42 U.S.C. 300j et seq., federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and Title 73, Chapter 10c, Utah Code. |
| R309-705-3. Definitions |
|
Latest version.
|
|
Definitions for general terms used in this rule are given in R309-110. Definitions for terms specific to this rule are given below. "Board" means the Drinking Water Board. "Drinking Water Project" means any work or facility that is necessary or desirable to provide water for human consumption and other domestic uses. Its scope includes collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities; and also includes studies, planning, education activities, and design work that will promote protecting the public from waterborne health risks. "Project Costs" include the cost of acquiring and constructing any project including, without limitation: the cost of acquisition and construction of any facility or any modification, improvement, or extension of such facility; any cost incident to the acquisition of any necessary property, easement or right of way, except property condemnation cost, which are not eligible costs; engineering or architectural fees, legal fees, fiscal agents' and financial advisors' fees; any cost incurred for any preliminary planning to determine the economic and engineering feasibility of a proposed project; costs of economic investigations and studies, surveys, preparation of designs, plans, working drawings, specifications and the inspection and supervision of the construction of any facility; Hardship Grant Assessments, fees and interest accruing on loans made under this program during acquisition and construction of the project; costs for studies, planning, education activities, and design work that will promote protecting the public from waterborne health risks; and any other cost incurred by the Board or the Department of Environmental Quality, in connection with the issuance of obligation to evidence any loan made to it under the law. "Disadvantaged Communities" are defined as those communities located in an area which has a median adjusted gross income less than or equal to 80% of the State's median adjusted gross income, as determined by the Utah State Tax Commission from federal individual income tax returns excluding zero exemption returns, or where the estimated annual cost, including loan repayment costs, of drinking water service for the average residential user exceeds 1.75% of the median adjusted gross income. If, in the judgment of the Board, the State Tax Commission data is insufficient the Board may accept other measurements of the water users' income (i.e. local income survey or questionnaire when there is a significant difference between the number of service connections for a system and the number of tax filing for a given zip code or city). "Drinking Water Project Obligation" means any bond, note or other obligation issued to finance all or part of the cost of acquiring, constructing, expanding, upgrading or improving a drinking water project, including, but not limited to, preliminary planning, studies, surveys, engineering or architectural fees, and preparation of plans and specifications. "Credit Enhancement Agreement" means any agreement entered into between the Board, on behalf of the State, and an eligible water system for the purpose of providing methods and assistance to eligible water systems to improve the security for and marketability of drinking water project obligations. "Eligible Water System" means any community drinking water system, either privately or publicly owned; and nonprofit noncommunity water systems. "Interest Buy-Down Agreement" means any agreement entered into between the Board, on behalf of the State, and an eligible water system, for the purpose of reducing the cost of financing incurred by an eligible water system on bonds issued by the subdivision for project costs. "Financial Assistance" means a project loan, credit enhancement agreement, interest buy-down agreement, or technical assistance. "Hardship Grant Assessment" means an assessment applied to a loan. The assessment shall be calculated as a percentage of outstanding principal balance of a loan, applied on an annual basis. Hardship grant assessment funds shall be subject to the requirements of UAC R309-700 for hardship grants. "Negative Interest" means a loan with an interest rate at less than zero percent. The repayment schedule for loans having a negative interest rate will be prepared by the Drinking Water Board. "Principal Forgiveness" means a loan wherein a portion of the loan amount is "forgiven" upon closing the loan. The terms for principal forgiveness will be as directed by section 4 of this rule and by the Drinking Water Board. "Interest" means an assessment applied to a loan. The assessment shall be calculated as a percentage of outstanding principal balance of a loan, applied on an annual basis. "Emergency" means an unexpected, serious occurrence of situation requiring urgent or immediate action. With regard to a water system this would be a situation resulting from the failure of equipment or other infrastructure, or contamination of the water supply, which threatens the health and / or safety of the public / water users. "Technical Assistance" means financial assistance provided for a feasibility study or master plan, to identify and / or correct system deficiencies, to help a water system overcome other technical problems. The system receiving said technical assistance may or may not be required to repay the funds received. If repayment is required, the Board will establish the terms of repayment. "SRF Technical Assistance Fund" means a fund (or account) that will be established for the express purpose of providing "Technical Assistance" to eligible drinking water systems. |
| R309-705-4. Financial Assistance Methods |
|
Latest version.
|
|
(1) Eligible Activities of the SRF. Funds within the SRF may be used for loans and other authorized forms of financial assistance. Funds may be used for the construction of publicly or privately owned works or facilities, or any work that is an eligible project cost as defined by 73-10c-2 of the Utah Code or as allowed by 42 U.S.C.A. 300f et seq. Those costs incurred subsequent to the submission of a funding application to the Board and prior to the execution of a financial assistance agreement and which meet the above criteria are eligible for reimbursement from the proceeds of the financial assistance agreement. (2) Types of Financial Assistance Available for Eligible Water Systems. (a) Loans. To qualify for "negative interest" or "principal forgiveness", the system must qualify as a "disadvantaged community" as defined in section 3 of this rule. Upon application, the Board will make a case by case determination whether the system is a "disadvantaged community". To be eligible to be considered as a disadvantaged community, the system must meet the definition provided in section 3 of this rule. Additionally, the Board will consider the type of community served by the system, the economic condition of the community, the population characteristics of those served by the system, factors relating to costs, charges and operation of the water system, and other such information as the Board determines relevant to making the decision to recognize the system as a "disadvantaged community". (i) Hardship Grant Assessment. The assessment will be calculated based on the procedures and formulas shown in section 6 of this rule. (ii) Repayment. Annual repayments of principal, interest, fees and/or Hardship Grant Assessment generally commence not later than one year after project completion. Project completion shall be defined as the date the funded project is capable of operation and a notice of "beneficial occupancy" is given to the general contractor. Where a project has been phased or segmented, the repayment requirement applies to the completion of individual phases or segments. The loan must be fully amortized not later than 20 years after project completion or not later than 30 years after project completion if the community served by the water system is determined to be a disadvantaged community. The yearly amount of the principal repayment is set at the discretion of the Board. (iii) Principal Forgiveness. Eligible water systems meeting the definition of "disadvantaged community" may qualify for financial assistance in the form of forgiveness of the principal loan amount. Terms for principal forgiveness will be determined by Board resolution. Eligible applicants for "principal forgiveness" financial assistance will be considered by the Board on a case-by-case basis. The Board will consider the type of community served by the system, the economic condition of the community, the population characteristics of those served by the system, factors relating to costs, charges and operation of the water system, and such other information as the Board determines relevant to making the decision to recognize the system as a disadvantaged community. (iv) Negative Interest Rate. Eligible water systems meeting the definition of "disadvantaged community" may qualify for financial assistance in the form of a loan with a negative interest rate, as determined by Board resolution. Eligible applicants for "negative interest" financial assistance will be considered by the Board on a case-by-case basis. The Board will consider the type of community served by the system, the economic condition of the community, the population characteristics of those served by the system, factors relating to costs, charges and operation of the water system, and such other information as the Board determines relevant to making the decision to recognize the system as a disadvantaged community. (v) Dedicated Repayment Source and Security. Loan recipients must establish one or more dedicated sources of revenue for repayment of the loan. As a condition of financial assistance, the applicant must demonstrate a revenue source and security, as required by the Board. (b) Refinancing Existing Debt Obligations. The Board may use funds from the SRF to buy or refinance municipal, inter-municipal or interstate agencies, where the initial debt was incurred and construction started after July 1, 1993. Refinanced projects must comply with the requirements imposed by the Safe Drinking Water Act(SDWA) as though they were projects receiving initial financing from the SRF. (c) Credit Enhancement Agreements and Interest Buy-Down Agreements. The Board will determine whether a project's funding may receive all or part of a loan, credit enhancement agreement or interest buy-down agreement. To provide security for project obligations, the Board may agree to purchase project obligations of applicants, or make loans to the applicants. The Board may also consider making loans to the applicants to pay the cost of obtaining letters of credit from various financial institutions, municipal bond insurance, or other forms of insurance or security for project obligations. The Board may also consider other methods of assistance to applicants to properly enhance the marketability of or security for project obligations. Interest buy-down agreements may consist of any of the following: (i) A financing agreement between the Board and applicant whereby a specified sum is loaned to the applicant. The loaned funds shall be placed in a trust account, which shall be used exclusively to reduce the cost of financing for the project. (ii) A financing agreement between the Board and the applicant whereby the proceeds of bonds purchased by the Board is combined with proceeds from publicly issued bonds to finance the project. The rate of interest on bonds purchased by the Board may carry an interest rate lower than the interest rate on the publicly issued bonds, which when blended together will provide a reduced annual debt service for the project. (iii) Any other legal method of financing which reduces the annual payment amount on publicly issued bonds. The financing alternative chosen should be the one most economically advantageous for the State and the applicant. (d) Technical Assistance. The Board may establish a fund (or account) into which the proceeds of an annual fee on loans will be placed. These funds will be used to finance technical assistance for eligible water systems. This fund will provide low interest loans for technical assistance and any other eligible purpose as defined by Section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 to water systems that are eligible for Federal SRF loans. Repayment of these loans may be waived in whole or in part (grant funds) by the Board whether or not the borrower is disadvantaged. (i) The Board may establish a fee to be assessed against loans authorized under the Federal SRF Loan Program. The revenue generated by this fee will be placed in a new fund called the "SRF Technical Assistance Fund". (ii) The amount will be assessed as a percentage of the Principal Balance of the loan on an annual basis, the same as the annual interest and hardship grant assessment are assessed. The borrower will pay the fee annually when paying the principal and interest or hardship grant assessments. (iii) The Board may set / change the amount of the fee from time to time as they determine meets the needs of the program. (iv) This fee will be part of the "effective rate" calculated for the loan using Table 2, R309-705-6. This fee may be charged in lieu of or in addition to the interest rate or hardship grant assessment, but in no case will the total of the technical assistance fee, the interest rate, and hardship grant assessment exceed the "effective rate". (v) The proceeds of the fund will be used as defined above or as modified by the Board in compliance with Section 1452 of the federal SDWA Amendments of 1996. (3) Ineligible Projects. Projects which are ineligible for financial assistance include: (a) Any project for a water system in significant non-compliance, as measured by a "not approved" (R309-400) rating, unless the project will resolve all outstanding issues causing the non-compliance. (b) Any project where the Board determines that the applicant lacks the technical, managerial, or financial capability to achieve or maintain SDWA compliance, unless the Board determines that the financial assistance will allow or cause the system to maintain long-term capability to stay in compliance. (c) Any project meant to finance the expansion of a drinking water system to supply or attract future population growth. Eligible projects, however, can be designed and funded at a level which will serve the population that a system expects to serve over the useful life of the facility. (d) Projects which are specifically prohibited from eligibility by Federal guidelines. These include the following: (i) Dams, or rehabilitation of dams; (ii) Water rights, unless the water rights are owned by a system that is being purchased through consolidation as part of a capacity development strategy; (iii) Reservoirs, except for finished water reservoirs and those reservoirs that are part of the treatment process and are located on the property where the treatment facility is located; (iv) Laboratory fees for monitoring; (v) Operation and maintenance costs; (vi) Projects needed mainly for fire protection. |
| R309-705-5. Application and Project Initiation Procedures |
|
Latest version.
|
|
The following procedures must normally be followed to obtain financial assistance from the Board: (1) It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain the necessary financial, legal and engineering counsel to prepare its application and an effective and appropriate financial assistance agreement. (2) A completed application form and project engineering report (facility plan) listing the project alternatives considered and including a justification for the chosen alternative, a project financing plan including an evaluation of credit enhancement, interest buy-down and loan methods applicable to the project and financial capability assessment and a history of the applicant's compliance with the SDWA are submitted to the Board. Comments from other interested parties such as an association of governments, the local health and planning departments, and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) District Engineers will also be accepted. Those costs incurred subsequent to the submission of a completed funding application form to the Board and prior to the execution of a financial assistance agreement and which meet the criteria for project costs are eligible for reimbursement from the proceeds of the financial assistance agreement. (3) An engineering and financial feasibility report and a capacity development analysis are prepared by Division staff for presentation to and consideration by the Board. A Capacity Assessment will be made by Division staff (See rule R309-352) for "equivalency" projects, essentially, those funded by the annual federal Capitalization Grant as defined by federal regulations. A capacity assessment may be prepared for a "non-equivalency project when it is determined to be beneficial for evaluating project feasibility. (4) The Board may authorize financial assistance for the project on the basis of the staff's feasibility report and designate whether a loan, credit enhancement agreement, interest buy-down agreement, or any combination thereof, is to be entered into, and approve the project schedule (see section 7 of this rule). (5) The applicant must demonstrate public support for the project prior to bonding, as deemed acceptable by the Drinking Water Board. As a minimum, for a loan to be secured by a revenue bond, the Sponsor must mail notices to each water user in the Sponsor's service area informing them of a public hearing. In addition to the time and location of the public hearing the notice shall inform water users of the Sponsor's intent to issue a non-voted revenue bond to the Board, shall describe the face amount of the bond, the "effective rate", the repayment schedule and shall describe the impact of the project on the user including: user rates, impact and connection fees. The notice shall state that water users may respond to the Sponsor in writing or in the public hearing within ten days after the date of the notice. A copy of all written responses and a certified record of the public hearing shall be forwarded to the Division of Drinking Water. (6) For financial assistance mechanisms where the applicant's bond is purchased by the Board, the project applicant's bond documentation must include an opinion from recognized bond counsel. Counsel must be experienced in bond matters, and must include an opinion that the drinking water project obligation is a valid and binding obligation of the applicant (see section 8 of this rule). The opinion must be submitted to the Assistant Attorney General for preliminary approval and the applicant shall publish a Notice of Intent to issue bonds in a newspaper of general circulation pursuant to 11-14-21 of the Utah Code. For financial assistance mechanisms when the applicant's bond is not purchased by the Board, the applicant shall submit a true and correct copy of an opinion from legal counsel, experienced in bond matters, that the drinking water project obligation is a valid and binding obligation of the applicant. (7) As authorized in 19-4-106(2)(c) of the Utah Code, the Director may review plans, specifications, and other data pertinent to proposed or expanded water supply systems to insure proper design and construction, as specified in rule R309-500-4 General. Construction of a public drinking water project shall not begin until complete plans and specifications have been approved in writing by the Director. (8) If a project is designated to be financed by the Board through a loan or an interest buy-down agreement, an account supervised by the applicant and the Board will be established by the applicant to assure that loan funds are used only for eligible project costs. If financial assistance for the project is provided by the Board in the form of a credit enhancement or interest buy-down agreement, all project funds will be maintained in a separate account, and a quarterly report of project expenditures will be provided to the Board. Incremental disbursement bonds will be required. Cash draws will be based on a schedule that coincides with the rate at which project related costs are expected to be incurred for the project. (9) If a revenue bond is to be used to secure a loan, a User Charge Ordinance, or water rate structure, must be submitted to the Board for review and approval to insure adequate provisions for debt retirement and/or operation and maintenance. If a general obligation bond is to be used to secure a loan, a User Charge Ordinance must be submitted to the Board for review and approval to insure the system will have adequate resources to provide acceptable service. (10) A "Private Company" will be required to enter into a Loan Agreement with the Board. The loan agreement will establish the procedures for disbursement of loan proceeds and will set forth the security interests to be granted to the Board by the Applicant to secure the Applicant's repayment obligations. (a) The Board may require any of the following forms of security interest or additional/other security interests to guarantee repayment of the loan: deed of trust interests in real property, security interests in equipment and water rights, and personal guarantees. (b) The security requirements will be established after the Board's staff has reviewed and analyzed the Applicants financial condition. (c) These requirements may vary from project to project at the discretion of the Board (d) The Applicant will also be required to execute a Promissory Note in the face amount of the loan, payable to the order of the lender, and file a Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code Financing Statement, Form UCC-1. (e) The Board may specify that loan proceeds be disbursed incrementally into an escrow account for expected construction costs, or it may authorize another acceptable disbursement procedure. (11) The applicant's contract with its engineer must be submitted to the Board for review to determine if there will be adequate engineering involvement, including project supervision and inspection, to successfully complete the project. (12) The applicant's attorney must provide an opinion to the Board regarding legal incorporation of the applicant, valid legal title to rights-of-way and the project site, validity and quantity of water rights, and adequacy of bidding and contract documents, as required. (13) A position fidelity bond may be required by the Board insuring the treasurer or other local staff handling the repayment funds and revenues produced by the applicant's system and payable to the State of Utah through the Drinking Water Board. (14) CREDIT ENHANCEMENT AGREEMENT AND INTEREST BUY-DOWN AGREEMENT ONLY - The Board shall execute the credit enhancement agreement or interest buy-down agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of the security or other forms of assistance provided by the agreement and shall notify the applicant to sell the bonds. (15) CREDIT ENHANCEMENT AGREEMENT AND INTEREST BUY-DOWN AGREEMENT ONLY - The applicant shall sell the bonds and shall notify the Board of the terms of sale. If a credit enhancement agreement is utilized, the bonds shall contain the legend required by 73-10c-6(3)(d) of the Utah Code. If an interest buy-down agreement is being utilized, the bonds shall bear a legend referring to the interest buy-down agreement and state that such agreement does not constitute a pledge of or charge against the general revenues, credit or taxing powers of the state and that the holder of any such bond may look only to the applicant and the funds and revenues pledged by the applicant for the payment of interest and principal on the bonds. (16) The applicant shall open bids for the project. (17) LOAN ONLY - The Board shall give final approval to purchase the bonds and execute the loan contract. (18) LOAN ONLY - The closing of the loan is conducted. (19) A preconstruction conference shall be held. (20) The applicant shall issue a written notice to proceed to the contractor. |
| R309-705-6. Applicant Priority System and Selection of Terms of Assistance |
|
Latest version.
|
|
(1) Priority Determination. The Board may, at its option, modify a project's priority rating based on the following considerations: (a) The project plans, specifications, contract, financing, etc., of a lesser-rated project are ready for execution. (b) Available funding. (c) Acute health risk. (d) Capacity Development (financial, technical, or managerial issues needing resolution to avoid EPA intervention). (e) An Emergency. The Board will utilize Table 1 to prioritize loan applicants as may be modified by (a), (b), (c), or (d) above. TABLE 1 Priority System Deficiency Description Points Received Source Quality/Quantity Health Risk (select one) A. There is evidence that waterborne illnesses have occurred. 25 B. There are reports of illnesses which may be waterborne. 20 C. High potential for waterborne illness exists. 15 D. Moderate potential for waterborne illness 8 E. No evidence of potential health risks 0 Compliance with SDWA (select all that apply) A. Source has been determined to be under the influence of surface water. 25 B. System is often out of water due to inadequate source capacity. 20 -or- System capacity does not meet the requirements of UPDWR. 10 C. Source has a history of three or more confirmed microbiological violations within the last year. 10 D. Sources are not developed or protected according 10 to UPDWR. E. Source has confirmed MCL chemistry violations within the last year. 10 Total 100 Treatment Points Deficiency Description Available Health Risk/Compliance with SDWA (select all that apply) A. Treatment system cannot consistently meet log removal requirements, turbidity standards, or other enforceable drinking water quality standards. 25 B. The required disinfection facilities are not installed, are inadequate, or fail to provide adequate water quality. 25 C. Treatment system is subject to impending failure, 25 or has failed. -or- Treatment system equipment does not meet demands 20 of UPDWR including the lead and/or copper action levels. -or- System equipment is projected to become inadequate 5 without upgrades. Total 75 Storage Points Deficiency Description Available Health Risk / Compliance with SDWA (select all that apply) A. Storage system is subject to impending failure, or has 25 failed. -or- System is old, cannot be easily cleaned, or subject 15 to contamination. B. Storage system is inadequate for existing demands. 20 -or- Storage system demand exceeds 90% of storage capacity. 10 C. Applicable contact time requirements cannot be met without an upgrade. 15 D. System suffers from low static pressures. 15 Total 75 Distribution Points Deficiency Description Available Health Risk/Compliance with SDWA (select all that apply) A. Distribution system equipment is deteriorated or 20 inadequate for existing demands. -or- Distribution system is inadequate to meet 5 year 10 projected demands. B. Applicable disinfectant residual maintenance 20 requirements are not met or high backflow contamination potential exists. C. Project will replace pipe containing unsafe materials 15 (lead, asbestos, etc). D. Minimum dynamic pressure requirements are not met. 10 E. System experiences a heavy leak rate in the 10 distribution lines. Total 75 Emergencies Upon the Board finding of an emergency as required by R309-705-9. Total 100 Priority Rating = (Average Points Received) x (Rate Factor) x (AGI Factor) Where: * Rate Factor = (Average System Water Bill/Average State Water Bill) ** AGI Factor = (State Median AGI/System Median AGI) (2) Financial Assistance Determination. The amount and type of financial assistance offered will be based upon the criteria shown in Table 2. As determined by Board resolution, disadvantaged communities may also receive zero-percent loans, or other financial assistance as described herein. Effective rate calculation methods will be determined by Board resolution from time to time, using the Revenue Bond Buyer Index (RBBI)as a basis point, the points assigned in Table 2, and a method to reduce the interest rate from a recent RBBI rate down to a potential minimum of zero percent. To encourage rapid repayment of a loan the Board will increase the interest rate 0.02 per cent (0.02%) for each year the repayment period exceeds five (5.0) years. TABLE 2 INTEREST, HARDSHIP GRANT FEE AND OTHER FEES REDUCTION FACTORS POINTS 1. COST EFFECTIVENESS RATIO (SELECT ONE) A. Project cost $0 to $500 per benefitting connection 16 B. $501 to $1,500 14 C. $1,501 to $2,000 11 D. $2,001 to $3,000 8 E. $3,001 to $5,000 4 F. $5,001 to $10,000 1 G. Over $10,000 0 2. CURRENT LOCAL MEDIAN ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME (AGI) (SELECT ONE) A. Less than 70% of State Median AGI 19 B. 71 to 80% of State Median AGI 16 C. 81 to 95% of State Median AGI 13 D. 96 to 110% of State Median AGI 9 E. 111 to 130% of State Median AGI 6 F. 131 to 150% of State Median AGI 3 G. Greater than 150% of State Median AGI 0 3. APPLICANT'S COMMITMENT TO PROJECT PROJECT FUNDING CONTRIBUTED BY APPLICANT (SELECT ONE) A. Greater than 25% of project funds 17 B. 15 to 25% of project funds 14 C. 10 to 15% of project funds 11 D. 5 to 10% of project funds 8 E. 2 to 5% of project funds 4 F. Less than 2% of project funds 0 4. ABILITY TO REPAY LOAN: 4. WATER BILL (INCLUDING TAXES) AFTER PROJECT IS BUILT RELATIVE TO LOCAL MEDIAN ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME (SELECT ONE) A. Greater than 2.50% of local median AGI 16 B. 2.01 to 2.50% of local median AGI 12 C. 1.51 to 2.00% of local median AGI 8 D. 1.01 to 1.50% of local median AGI 3 E. 0 to 1.00% of local median AGI 0 5. SPECIAL INCENTIVES: Applicant (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.) A. Has a replacement fund receiving annual deposits of about 5% of the system's annual drinking water (DW) budget and fund has already accumulated a minimum of 10% of said annual DW budget in this reserve fund. 5 B. Has, in addition to item 5.A., accumulated an amount equal to at least 20% of its annual DW budget in its replacement fund. 5 C. Is creating or enhancing a regionalization plan 16 D. Has a rate structure encouraging conservation 6 TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS FOR FINANCIAL NEED 100 |
| R309-705-7. Project Authorization |
|
Latest version.
|
|
A project may receive written authorization for financial or technical assistance from the Board following submission and favorable review of an application form, engineering report (if required), capacity development (including financial capability) assessment and staff feasibility report. The engineering report shall include a cost effective analysis of feasible project alternatives capable of meeting State and Federal drinking water requirements. It shall include consideration of monetary costs including the present worth or equivalent annual value of all capital costs, operation, maintenance, and replacement costs. The alternative selected must be the most economical means of meeting applicable State and Federal drinking water requirements over the useful life of the facility while recognizing environmental and other nonmonetary considerations. Once the application submittals are reviewed, the staff will prepare a project feasibility report for the Board's consideration in Authorizing a project. The project feasibility report will include an evaluation of the project with regard to the Board's funding priority criteria, and will contain recommendations for the type of financial assistance which may be extended (i.e., for a loan, credit enhancement agreement, or interest buy-down agreement). The Board may authorize financial assistance for any work or facility to provide water for human consumption and other domestic uses. Generally, work means planning, engineering design, or other eligible activities defined elsewhere in these rules. Project Authorization is conditioned upon the availability of funds at the time of loan closing or signing of the credit enhancement, or interest buy-down and upon adherence to the project schedule approved at that time. The Board, at its own discretion, may require the Applicant to enter into a "Commitment Agreement" with the Board prior to execution of final loan documents or closing of the loan. This Commitment Agreement or Binding Commitment may specify date(s) by which the Applicant must complete the requirements set forth in the Project Authorization Letter. The Commitment Agreement shall state that if the Department of Environmental Quality acting through the Drinking Water Board is unable to make the Loan by the Loan Date, this Agreement shall terminate without any liability accruing to the Department or the Applicant hereunder. Also, if the project does not proceed according to the project schedule, the Board may withdraw project Authorization, so that projects which are ready to proceed can obtain necessary funding. Extensions to the project schedule may be considered by the Board, but any extension requested must be fully justified. |
| R309-705-8. Financial Evaluations |
|
Latest version.
|
|
(1) The Board considers it a proper function to assist project applicants in obtaining funding from such financing sources as may be available. (2) In providing financial assistance in the form of a loan, the Board may purchase bonds of the applicant only if the bonds are accompanied by a legal opinion of recognized municipal bond counsel. Bond counsel must provide an opinion that the bonds are legal and binding under applicable Utah law (including, if applicable, the Utah Municipal Bond Act). For bonds of $150,000 or less the Board will not require this opinion. (3) In providing financial assistance in the form of a loan, the Board may purchase either taxable or non-taxable bonds; or a secured promissory note provided that it shall be the general preference of the Board to purchase bonds issued by the applicant only if the bonds are tax exempt. Tax-exempt bonds must be accompanied by a legal opinion of recognized municipal bond counsel to the effect that the Interest and the Hardship Grant Assessment, or a fee (also interest) on the bonds is exempt from federal income taxation. Such an opinion must be obtained by the applicant in the following situations: (a) Bonds which are issued to finance a project which will also be financed in part at any time by the proceeds of other bonds which are exempt from federal income taxation. (b) Bonds which are not subject to the arbitrage rebate provisions of Section 148 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or successor provision of similar intent), including, without limitation, bonds covered by the "small governmental units" exemption contained in Section 148(f)(4)(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any successor provision of similar intent) and bonds which are not subject to arbitrage rebate because the gross proceeds from the loan will be completely expended within six months after the issuance of such bonds. (4) If more than 25 percent of the project is to serve industry, bond counsel must evaluate the loan to ensure the tax exempt status of the loan fund. (5) Revenue bonds purchased by the Board shall be secured by a pledge of water system revenues, and it is the general policy of the Board that the pledge of water revenues for the payment of debt service (principal and/or Hardship Grant Assessment) on a particular revenue bond be on a parity with the pledge of those water revenues as security for the debt service payments on all other bonds or other forms of indebtedness which are secured by the water revenues. (6) If a project is Authorized to receive a loan, the Board will establish the portion of the construction cost to be included in the loan and will set the terms for the loan. It is the Board's intent to avoid repayment schedules exceeding the design life of the project facilities. (7) Normal engineering and investigation costs incurred by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) or Board during preliminary project investigation and prior to Board Authorization will not become a charge to the applicant if the project is found infeasible, denied by the Board, or if the applicant withdraws the Application prior to the Board's Authorization. If the credit enhancement agreement or interest buy-down agreement does not involve a loan of funds from the Board administrative costs will not be charged to the project. However, if the Board Authorizes a loan for the project, all costs incurred by the DEQ or Board on the project will be charged against the project and paid by the applicant as a part of the total project cost. Generally, this will include all DEQ and Board costs incurred from the beginning of the preliminary investigations through the end of construction and close-out of the project. If the applicant decides not to build the project after the Board has Authorized the project, all costs accrued after the Authorization date will be reimbursed by the applicant to the Board. (8) The Board shall determine the date on which the scheduled payments of principal, Hardship Grant Assessment, and interest will be made. In fixing this date, all possible contingencies shall be considered, and the Board may allow the system up to one year of actual use of the project facilities before the first repayment of principal is required. (9) The applicant shall furnish the Board with acceptable evidence that the applicant is capable of paying its share of the construction costs during the construction period. (10) LOANS AND INTEREST BUY-DOWN AGREEMENTS ONLY - The Board may require, as part of the loan or interest buy-down agreement, that any local funds which are to be used in financing the project be committed to construction prior to or concurrent with the committal of State funds. (11) The Board will not forgive the applicant of any payment after the payment is due. (12) The Board will require that a debt service reserve account be established by the applicant at or before the time that the loan is closed. Deposits to that account shall be made at least annually in the amount of one-tenth of the annual payment on the bond(s) purchased by the Board and shall continue until the total amount in the debt service reserve fund is equal to the annual payment. The debt service reserve account shall be continued until the bond is retired. Failure to maintain the reserve account will constitute a technical default on the bond(s). (13) The Board will require a capital facilities replacement reserve account be established at or before the loan is closed. Deposits to that account shall be made at least annually in the amount of five percent (5%) of the applicant's annual drinking water system budget, including depreciation, unless otherwise specified by the Board at the time of loan authorization, until the loan is repaid. This fund shall not serve as security for the payment of principal or Hardship Grant Assessment on the loan. The applicant shall adopt such resolutions as necessary to limit the use of the fund to construct capital facilities for its water system. The applicant will not need the consent of the Board prior to making any expenditure from the fund. Failure to maintain the reserve account will constitute a technical default on the bond(s) and may result in penalties being assessed. (14) If the Board is to purchase a revenue bond, the Board will require that the applicant's water rates be established such that sufficient net revenue will be raised to provide at least 125% or such other amount as the Board may determine of the total annual debt service. (15) The applicant must have adopted a Water Management and Conservation Plan prior to executing the loan agreement. |
| R309-705-9. Emergency Assistance |
|
Latest version.
|
|
(1) Authority: Title 73, Chapter 10c of State Statute and the SDWA Amendment of 1996 give the Board authority to provide emergency assistance to drinking water systems. (2) Eligibility: Generally, any situation occurring as defined in Section R309-705-3 would qualify for consideration for emergency funding. However, prior to authorizing funds for an emergency, the Board may consider one or more of the various factors listed below: (i) Was the emergency preventable? Did the utility / water system have knowledge that this emergency could be expected? If not. Should it have been aware of the potential for this problem? Did its management take reasonable action to either prevent it or to be as prepared as reasonably possible to correct the problem when it occurred (prepared financially and technically for the event causing the problem)? (ii) Has the utility / system established a capital improvement replacement reserve fund? Has the utility / system been charging reasonably high rates in order to establish a reserve fund to cover normal infrastructure replacement and emergencies? (iii) Is the community a disadvantaged (hardship) community? (iv) Is the potential for illness, injury, or other harm to the public or system operators sufficiently high that the value of providing financial assistance outweighs other factors that would preclude providing this assistance. (Even though the State does not have any legal obligation to provide financial assistance to help correct the problem.). (3) Requirements for the Applicant: The applicant will be required to do the following as a condition of receiving financial assistance to cope with a drinking water emergency: (i) To the extent feasible, the utility / system shall first use its own resources, e.g. capital improvement replacement fund, to correct the problem. (ii) If the utility / system is not placing funds into a reserve fund on a regular basis and / or is charging relatively low water rates it shall be required to examine its current rate structure and policies for placing funds into a reserve account. The Board may require the utility / system to establish a reserve account and / or to revise its rate structure (increasing its rate) as a condition of the loan. (iii) The Board may place other requirements on the utility / system. (4) Financial Agreements, Bonding, etc: The State will work with the Applicant to help secure obligating documents. For example, the Board: (i) Could waive the 30-day notice period, if legally possible. (ii) Could accept a generic bond. (iii) Could accept an unsecured loan or bond. (5) Funding Alternatives: An Applicant may be authorized to receive a loan by any of the financial assistance methods specified in R309-705-4 for funding an emergency project. The Board may set and revise the methodology and factors to be considered when determining the terms of financial assistance it provides including assigning a priority it deems appropriate. The terms of the loan, including length of repayment period, interest or hardship grant assessment, and principal forgiveness (grant) or repayment waivers will be determined at the time the emergency funding is authorized. (6) Funding Process - The Board must find that an emergency exists according to the criteria in R309-705-9(2). It is anticipated that under normal emergency conditions time restraints will not allow a request for emergency funding to be placed on the agenda of a regularly scheduled Board meeting or adoption and advertisement of a project priority list. Therefore, the following procedures will be followed in processing a loan application for emergency assistance: (i) Division staff will evaluate each application for emergency funding according to the criteria listed in R309-705-9(2). Staff will solicit recommendations from the LHD and District Engineer about the proposed project to mitigate the emergency. Staff will submit a report of its findings to the Board Chairperson or designee. (ii) The Board Chairperson or designee will arrange for a timely meeting of the Board to consider authorizing assistance for the emergency. This meeting may be conducted by telephone. |
| R309-705-10. Committal of Funds and Approval of Agreements |
|
Latest version.
|
|
After the Director has issued a Plan Approval, the loan, credit enhancement, interest buy-down, or hardship grant will be considered by the Board for final approval. The Board will determine whether the agreement is in proper order. The Executive Secretary, or designee, may then execute the loan or credit enhancement agreement if no aspects of the project have changed significantly since the Board's authorization of the loan or credit enhancement, provided all conditions imposed by the Board have been met. If significant changes have occurred the Board will then review the project and, if satisfied, the Board will then commit funds, approve the signing of the contract, credit enhancement agreement, or interest buy-down agreement, and instruct the Executive Secretary to submit a copy of the signed contract or agreement to the Division of Finance. |
| R309-705-11. Construction |
|
Latest version.
|
|
The Division of Drinking Water staff may conduct inspections and will report to the applicant and applicant's engineer. Contract change orders must be properly negotiated with the contractor and approved in writing. Change orders in excess of $10,000 must receive prior written approval by the Executive Secretary before execution. When the project is complete to the satisfaction of the applicant, the applicant's engineer, and the Director, written approval will be issued by the Director in accordance with R309-500-9 to commence using the project facilities. |
| R309-705-12. Compliance with Federal Requirements |
|
Latest version.
|
|
(1) Applicants must show the legal, institutional, managerial, and financial capability to construct, operate, and maintain the drinking water system(s) that the project will serve. (2) Applicant(s) shall require its contractors to comply with federal provisions for disadvantaged business enterprises and exclusions for businesses under suspension and/or debarment. Any bidder not complying with these requirements shall be considered a non-responsive bidder. (3) As required by Federal Code, applicants may be subject to the following federal requirements (all assessments shall consider the impacts of the project twenty (20) years into the future): Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974, Pub. L. 86-523, as amended Clean Air Act, Pub. L. 84-159, as amended Coastal Barrier Resources Act, Pub. L. 97-348 Coastal Zone Management Act, Pub. L. 92-583, as amended Endangered Species Act, Pub. L. 92-583 Environmental Justice, Executive Order 12898 Floodplain Management, Executive Order 11988 as amended by Executive Order 12148 Protection of Wetlands, Executive Order 11990 Farmland Protection Policy Act, Pub. L. 97-98 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Pub. L. 85-624 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), Pub. L. 91-190 National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, PL 89-665, as amended Safe Drinking Water Act, Pub. L. 93-523, as amended Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Pub. L. 90-542, as amended Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Pub. L. 94-135 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. 88-352 Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, Pub. L. 92-500 (the Clean Water Act) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub. L. 93-112 (including Executive Orders 11914 and 11250) The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, Pub. L. 100-690 (applies only to the capitalization grant recipient) Equal Employment Opportunity, Executive Order 11246 Women's and Minority Business Enterprise, Executive Orders 11625, 12138 and 12432 Section 129 of the Small Business Administration Reauthorization and Amendment Act of 1988, Pub. L. 100-590 Anti-Lobbying Provisions (40 CFR Part 30) Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966, Pub. L. 89-754, as amended Procurement Prohibitions under Section 306 of the Clean Water Act and Section 508 of the Clean Water Act, including Executive Order 11738, Administration of the Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with Respect to Federal Contracts, Grants, or Loans Uniform Relocation and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act, Pub. L. 91-646, as amended Debarment and Suspension, Executive Order 12549 Accounting procedures, whereby applicants agree to maintain a separate project account in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Standards and Utah State Uniform Accounting requirements. |