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Pre-Approval Process for Innovative Methodologies
In preparation for CWNS 2008, EPA is reviewing innovative methodologies proposed by states for documenting needs and costs from February - July 2008. EPA encourages state coordinators to work with other state and local programs to develop innovative approaches to collect CWNS data. The advantages of participating the pre-approval process are:- Submitted needs that follow the pre-approved methodology will be approved (Federal Accepted)
- Approved innovative approaches will be documented and shared with other states. This can improve reporting nationally
Pre-Approval Process
State CWNS coordinators request EPA review proposed methodology for documenting needs and costs in a specific category. (State stormwater, NPS, and decentralized coordinators should coordinate with their state CWNS coordinator to submit a proposal). The proposal should include the following information:- Category of need
- Whether the proposal methodology will be used to document need and/or costs
- A 1-2 page description of the proposed methodology. Describe any external data sets that will be used
- Attach sample surveys, spreadsheets, documentation, when appropriate. Annotate documents to indicate the following (if applicable): title, date, author, needs justification, recommended alternative, associated costs, and cost categories
EPA staff will review proposed methodologies on a semi-monthly basis. The review will determine whether the proposed methodology meets CWNS eligibility requirements, CWNS documentation requirements, and SRF eligibility requirements. EPA will provide the state coordinator with feedback within two weeks.