Department of Environment & Conservation
Robert Martineau, Commissioner

Planning/Environmental Requirements

The technical staff of the State Revolving Fund Loan Program (SRF Loan Program) completes an extensive environmental and technical review of every proposed Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) project. The environmental and technical information that is prepared by the DWSRF loan applicant´s consulting engineer and presented in the Facilities Plan is reviewed to ensure compliance with various, applicable federal and state requirements.

The SRF Loan Program´s technical staff coordinates an Interdisciplinary Environmental Review (IER) during the early stages of the Planning Phase. The IER is presented to fourteen State and Federal environmental agencies for review and comment and consists of a detailed, concise project description accompanied by a copy of a 7.5-minute USGS topographic quadrangle map delineating the proposed project. IER agencies contacted include the following:

Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

Tennessee Department of Transportation

Tennessee Division of Air Pollution Control

Tennessee Division of Archaeology

Tennessee Division of Groundwater Protection

Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage

Tennessee Division of Solid Waste Management

Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control

Tennessee Division of Water Supply

Tennessee Historical Commission

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

US Army Corps of Engineers

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Comments, if any, that are received from the reviewing agencies generally necessitate special DWSRF loan conditions requiring the loan recipient to mitigate the respective agency´s concerns subsequent to award of the DWSRF loan and prior to the approval of the Plans and Specifications for the proposed project.

Environmental information is an integral part of every Facilities Plan. The environmental information presented in a Facilities Plan must be a comprehensive evaluation of the current environment in the planning and project areas, the potential impacts of construction on the environment, and the actions necessary to prevent potential negative environmental impacts. The SRF Loan Program´s technical staff reviews the environmental information and pays particular attention to the utilization of that environmental information in the applicant´s development of alternatives and the selection of the most cost-effective alternative.

Subsequent to the successful completion of the technical and environmental reviews of the Facilities Plan, the Plan of Operation, and the public participation process, either a Categorical Exclusion (CE), a Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) including an Environmental Assessment, or an Environmental Impact Statement is issued for public and agency review and comment. The review process is complete only after comments have been addressed and additional information has been provided.