§ 35.927-5 - Project procedures.

(a) State certification. The State agency may (but need not) certify that excessive infiltration/inflow does or does not exist. The Regional Administrator will determine that excessive infiltration/inflow does not exist on the basis of State certification, if he finds that the State had adequately established the basis for its certification through submission of only the minimum information necessary to enable a judgment to be made. Such information could include a preliminary review by the applicant or State, for example, of such parameters as per capita design flow, ratio of flow to design flow, flow records or flow estimates, bypasses or overflows, or summary analysis of hydrological, geographical, and geological conditions, but this review would not usually be equivalent to a complete infiltration/inflow analysis. State certification must be on a project-by-project basis. If, on the basis of State certification, the Regional Administrator determines that the treatment works is or may be subject to excessive infiltration/inflow, no step 2 or step 3 grant assistance may be awarded except as paragraph (c) of this section provides.

(b) Pre-award sewer system evaluation. Generally, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) of this section, an adequate sewer system evaluation, consisting of a sewer system analysis and, if required, an evaluation survey, is an essential element of step 1 facilities planning. It is a prerequisite to the award of step 2 or 3 grant assistance. If the Regional Administrator determines through State Certification or an infiltration/inflow analysis that excessive infiltration/inflow does not exist, step 2 or 3 grant assistance may be awarded. If on the basis of State certification or the infiltration/inflow analysis, the Regional Administrator determines that possible excessive infiltration/inflow exists, an adequate sewer system evaluation survey and, if required, a rehabilitation program must be furnished, except as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section before grant assistance for step 2 or 3 can be awarded. A step 1 grant may be awarded for the completion of this segment of step 1 work, and, upon completion of step 1, grant assistance for a step 2 or 3 project (for which priority has been determined under §35.915) may be awarded.

(c) Exception. If the Regional Administrator determines that the treatment works would be regarded (in the absence of an acceptable program of correction) as being subject to excessive infiltration/inflow, grant assistance may be awarded if the applicant establishes to the Regional Administrator's satisfaction that the treatment works project for which grant application is made will not be significantly changed by any subsequent rehabilitation program or will be a component part of any rehabilitated system. The applicant must agree to complete the sewer system evaluation and any resulting rehabilitation on an implementation schedule the State accepts (subject to approval by the Regional Administrator), which shall be inserted as a special condition in the grant agreement.

(d) Regional Administrator review. Municipalities may submit through the State agency the infiltration/inflow analysis and, when appropriate, the sewer system evaluation survey to the Regional Administrator for his review at any time before application for a treatment works grant. Based on such a review, the Regional Administrator shall provide the municipality with a written response indicating either his concurrence or nonconcurrence. In order for the survey to be an allowable cost, the Regional Administrator must concur with the sewer system evaluation survey plan before the work is performed.