EPIC Comments on Texas’s Draft Drinking Water State Revolving Fund SFY 2026 Intended Use Plan for Emerging Contaminants

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Written By Danielle Goshen

The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) submitted public comments on the Texas Water Development Board's Draft SFY26 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Emerging Contaminants Intended Use Plan, drawing on insights from EPIC's DWSRF Funding Tracker. Our analysis identified opportunities to strengthen the program’s fund utilization. Based on these findings, EPIC recommended maintaining strong prioritization for small systems, allowing high-ranking projects to be considered across multiple DWSRF funding programs, reducing Emerging Contaminants set-asides where demand for project funding far exceeds available resources, and improving transparency around funding decisions and project data. Together, these recommendations aim to help Texas maximize the impact of its DWSRF investments and ensure funding reaches the communities that need it most.

Summary of EPIC's Recommendations:

  • Clarify additional rating criteria points for small systems

  • Adopt an integrated approach that allows high-ranking projects submitted under the LSLR or EC IUPs to be considered under the General Activities program

  • Consider reducing set-asides form the EC program

  • Improve program transparency by providing clear information on SRF policy decisions discussed in the IUP

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Danielle Goshen

Danielle is the Senior Water Infrastructure Policy Analyst at EPIC. Prior to joining EPIC in 2024, Danielle worked on National Wildlife Federation's Texas Coast and Water Program as their Policy Specialist/Counsel where she collaborated with government, industry, and NGO stakeholders to improve water policy across Texas. Prior to her work at NWF, Danielle was the Water Policy Specialist at Galveston Bay Foundation. She attended the University of Toronto for her Honours Bachelor's degrees in Environmental Geography and Environmental Studies, with a minor in Geographic Information Studies. Danielle later earned her J.D. at the University of Georgia School of Law, where she was president of the Environmental Law Association. During her time at Georgia Law, Danielle interned at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 office and served as a Georgia Sea Grant Legal Fellow working on coastal resiliency policy.

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