(a) From funds reserved under § 35.2020(d) the Regional Administrator shall make grants to the States to carry out water quality management planning including but not limited to:

(1) Identifying the most cost-effective and locally acceptable facility and non-point measures to meet and maintain water quality standards;

(2) Developing an implementation plan to obtain State and local financial and regulatory commitments to implement measures developed under paragraph (a)(1) of this section;

(3) Determining the nature, extent and causes of water quality problems in various areas of the State and interstate region, and reporting on these annually; and

(4) Determining which publicly owned treatment works should be constructed, in which areas and in what sequence, taking into account the relative degree of effluent reduction attained, the relative contributions to water quality of other point or nonpoint sources, and the consideration of alternatives to such construction, and implementing section 303(e) of the Act.

(b) In carrying out planning with grants made under paragraph (a) of this section, a State shall develop jointly with local, regional and interstate entities, a plan for carrying out the program and give funding priority to such entities and designated or undesignated public comprehensive planning organizations to carry out the purposes of this section.