An engineer with a clipboard taking observing operations at a wastewater treatment plant

Under the Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF) program, the department provides Engineering Report Grants to small communities for developing wastewater treatment facility plans or collection system engineering reports related to the following:

  • Complying with new wastewater permit requirements
  • Reducing inflow and infiltration
  • Eliminating wet weather discharges
  • Evaluating capacity and hydraulic improvement
  • Upgrading their system when it reaches or exceeds its expected useful life

The community uses the funds to hire an engineer to produce a plan or report that identifies the system’s needs, evaluates the existing facility or system, describes all the options to meet the project goals, provides cost estimates and recommends best alternatives. The final plan or report must be signed and sealed by a professional engineer registered in the State of Missouri.

Funding is provided by the CWSRF fund, capitalization grant additional subsidization allocation. The department accepts applications and awards grants throughout the year.

Information and Assistance

The department encourages potential applicants to contact the department's Financial Assistance Center for assistance. The center can be reached at 573-751-1192 or by email at fac@dnr.mo.gov.

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include municipalities, counties, public sewer or water districts, political subdivision or instrumentalities of the state that:

  • Serve a population less than or equal to 10,000 and
  • Operate one of the following:
    • Wastewater treatment system that either has or is required to have a wastewater discharge permit issued by the department
    • Satellite wastewater collection system

In order to be eligible, the applicant must:

  • Have no outstanding fees due to the department
  • Have no prior engineering report(s) or facility plan(s) for the same issues
  • Agree to make a good faith effort to pursue recommendations contained in the approved engineering report or facility plan

Eligible Projects and Costs

Grant funds provide reimbursement of eligible expenses for services provided during the project’s budget period. Projects the applicant already started or previously completed are not eligible for reimbursement. 

Eligible projects are those that have at least one of the following needs:

  • Meeting new wastewater permit requirements
  • Reducing inflow and infiltration in collection systems
  • Eliminating wet weather discharges from peak flow structures
  • Evaluating capacity and hydraulic improvements at the wastewater treatment plant to address increased users or connections, but not for excessive inflow and infiltration
  • Upgrading wastewater treatment or collection systems that have reached or exceeded their useful life expectancy

Eligible costs include:

  • Reasonable engineering costs incurred during the grant budget period for developing the engineering report or facility plan
  • Costs for additional items approved by the department, such as antidegradation reviews, closed circuit television (CCTV) investigation, environmental surveys and soils reports

For additional information, visit the department's State Revolving Fund Plans and Reports webpage and review Appendix 7 of the most current CWSRF Intended Use Plan.

Award Amounts and Match

Funding is limited and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Qualifying eligible communities may receive an 80% grant, not to exceed a maximum amount of $50,000, with a 20% recipient match.
  • Qualifying disadvantaged communities may receive up to 100% of the eligible Engineering Report Grant costs, not to exceed a maximum amount of $62,500. A disadvantaged community is one that meets the following requirements, based on the most recent decennial census or an income survey overseen by a state or federal agency:
    • Has a population less than or equal to 3,300
    • Median household income is at or below 75% of the state average
    • User rates are at or above 2% of the median household income

Application Process

The department accepts CWSRF Engineering Report Grant applications throughout the year. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as funds are available. To apply for this grant, applicants may submit their completed application by email (preferred) to fac@dnr.mo.gov or mail to the department's Financial Assistance Center. The checklist is intended to ensure engineering reports and facility plans include all of the appropriate information communities need to make decisions about project implementation and prepare funding applications. 

Engineering Procurement

Applicants must properly procure their engineering consultant. The information below is provided by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri (ACEC Missouri) and explains the Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) of  professional services.