Drinking Water Revolving Fund
Instructions for Placing Projects on the Project Priority List

These are the instructions for placing a project on the Project Priority List. If construction and financing are expected within the year contact the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority and request that the project(s) are also placed on the Intended Use Plan.

• Submittal Options
• Types of projects
• Conditional Requirements
• Information to Submit
• Example Submittal (Word)
• Priority Points Worksheet

Submittal options

1. Submit signed cover letter and two copies of proposal to:

2. Or e-mail signed cover letter and one copy to health.dwrfapplication@state.mn.us.

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Types of projects

Typical projects include 1) source (e.g., well, well house), 2) treatment, 3) storage, 4) watermain, 5) system consolidation, 6) new community public water system or system extension to service areas with contaminated private wells, and 7) other projects which include but are not limited to water meters, SCADA systems, and emergency generators.

Please talk with the district engineer (PDF) assigned to your area before writing a proposal to consolidate two or more systems into one. This will be helpful to determine project eligibility.

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Conditional requirements

• Projects are not eligible if primarily for 1) housing or business expansion or 2) for fire protection
• Systems serving more than 1000 people must have implemented a Department of Natural Resources Public Water Supply Plan

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Information to submit

1.  Brief cover letter

• Addressed to DWRF coordinator
• Statement that the proposal is being submitted to place project(s)on the project priority list
• Identify the project owner (e.g., name of community or water board)
• Have the letter signed by an official for the water system

2.  Proposal should include:

• Project owner name (e.g., City of Bootheville)
• Project name (e.g., Western Heights Water Tower)
  • One or more projects may be included in a proposal
• Contact Information (name, address, telephone number, and email address for each:
  • System representative
  • Proposal Writer
• Community Statistics
  • Population
  • Number of Households
  • Projected population in 20 years
• System Description (General Description number of each of the components listed below, average and maximum daily demand, if services are metered)
  • Source (number and type of wells, pumping capacities, firm pumping capacity, age, condition)
  • Treatment (type, plant capacity, list chemicals being fed)
  • Storage (size of storage tanks and/or total storage capacity)
  • Distribution (type and condition of watermain)
• Need for Improvement (itemized by component - source, treatment, etc)
  • Include existing and potential problems
  • Provide pertinent documentation (sample results, history of main breaks, etc.)
  • Water sample data is required if a project is to provide public water to areas with contaminated private wells.
• Alternatives (include associated costs)
• Alternative Selected
  • Reason alternative selected
  • More detail description of alternative selected (size, capacity, type, etc.)
• Cost Summary
  • Alternative selected
• Project Schedule (at a minimum bid date, award date, start date, end date)
• Status of Water Emergency and Conservation Plan
• Miscellaneous
  • Map (required for watermain projects)
  • Violation letters
  • Sample results

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Priority Points Worksheet

The MDH uses the Priority Points Worksheet to calculate and assign points for each project. Five points are assigned to communities that are below the median household income (MHI) according to 2015 American Community Survey from the US Census Bureau. 2015 MHI for greater Minnesota is $41,352 and for the eleven county metropolitan area it is $69,063. The eleven counties are: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright.

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