Community Water Enrichment Fund
CWEF provides funding to rehabilitate, improve and construct community water system projects to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water. The Community Water Enrichment Fund (CWEF) was established during the 2008 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session through HB 926 (Act 513).
The program provides funding to units of local government for the rehabilitation, improvement and construction of community water system projects to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water. Funds have been appropriated for FY 2025-2026. The allocation amount per parish is $156,000.
Eligible Applicants
All municipalities and parishes within Louisiana that are identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as non-entitlement communities are eligible to apply for assistance.
Eligible Activities
Funds awarded may be used only for rehabilitation, improvement and construction projects for community water systems. Reasonable engineering costs are also eligible, limited to 10 percent of the grant award for basic engineering services associated with construction and three percent for inspection services.
Ineligible Activities
Previously incurred debt, improvements to private property, ongoing salaries, overtime for government employees, administration and engineering-only or planning-only projects are not eligible. Fire hydrant-only projects are also ineligible. Fire hydrants must be included as part of a water line rehabilitation or extension project. Generators, hand or power tools, water line locators, heavy-duty equipment used for digging, chemicals and incidental supplies are not eligible.
Grant Amounts
Maximum grant ceiling amounts are based on the following population ranges:
- Villages (1-999): up to $25,000
- Towns (1,000-4,999): up to $35,000
- Cities (5,000-35,000): up to $50,000
- Parishes: up to $100,000
If a parish’s incorporated communities’ combined maximum ceiling amounts are less than the allocation for the entire parish area, the parish may apply for more than $100,000.
Rules
Administrative Rules for CWEF were published in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act in January 2020 and can be found in the Louisiana Administrative Code on the Louisiana Division of Administration's website.
Application
Applications, except for emergencies, will only be accepted through the online portal.
Emergency Set Aside
A total of $500,000 has been set aside in the Community Water Enrichment Fund for projects determined to be of an emergency nature that affect the health and safety of residents. The ceiling amount for an individual emergency grant is $300,000. The emergency situation must have occurred within three months of application submission. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Local governments interested in applying for these emergency funds should first contact LOCD to discuss the proposed project. If LOCD determines the proposed project meets program intent, the local government will be invited to submit an application.