Agenda - Council - 09/13/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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growth needs. Other types of eligible water or sewer projects will not be subject to this cost- effectiveness test, including lead line replacement and lead remediation.304 In the case of projects that expand drinking water service infrastructure to satisfy a projected increase in population, the project must also be sustainable, meaning that the project can continue providing the adequate minimum level of service for its estimated useful life, taking into account projected impacts of changes to the climate and other expected demands on the source of water. For example, a reservoir rehabilitation project may not be pursued if the reservoir will no longer be able to provide an adequate source of drinking water before the end of the estimated useful life of the improvements to the reservoir. In areas currently impacted by drought or where drought conditions are expected to be more frequent or more severe in the future, sources of drinking water may be diminished more quickly than in prior periods. In considering how much of a source of water will be available in the future for the drinking water project, a recipient must consider that a source of water may be drawn upon or otherwise used for other current and expected uses, including use by fish and other wildlife. The final rule applies this sustainability condition to projects that expand drinking water service infrastructure to satisfy a projected increase in population but not to other drinking water projects. When a new source of water is required to remedy an existing threat to public health, as in the case of source projects eligible under the DWSRF, sustainability should be a consideration, but in some cases, the need to replace a contaminated source may mean that a less sustainable choice may be made. When faced with such an issue, such as in the case of a contaminated well system, a project to replace the contaminated source can be said to be 304 In such cases, either the projects are presumptively cost-effective (e.g., lead projects would always be considered cost-effective given the costs imposed by lead poisoning) or a cost-effectiveness test is less relevant given the lack of available alternatives or the relatively low cost of the project. 268