The U.S. EPA announced that 39 new projects are being invited to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans.
Four projects are being added to a waitlist as well. According to the EPA, as funds become available, $6.7 billion in WIFIA loans will help finance over $15 billion in water infrastructure projects to protect public health and water quality across 24 states.
“Far too many communities still face significant water challenges, making these transformative investments in water infrastructure so crucial,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan in the EPA news release. “The WIFIA invited projects will deliver major benefits like the creation of good-paying jobs and the safeguarding of public health, especially in underserved and under-resourced communities. This program is a shining example of the public health and economic opportunities that will be achieved under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
EPA’s WIFIA program will provide selected borrowers with innovative financing tools to address pressing public health and environmental challenges in their communities. The WIFIA program is making $1.2 billion in loans available to support infrastructure needs in historically underserved communities. 14 of these projects will help protect infrastructure from extreme weather events driven by climate change, and 24 projects will focus on cybersecurity, green infrastructure, and water reuse as well, added EPA.
The WIFIA program will also expand the types of projects it supports, added EPA, stating that for the first time, entities in Connecticut, Delaware, and Hawaii can apply. Three small communities are selected for WIFIA loans totaling nearly $62 million and seven projects submitted by private borrowers and public-private partnerships totaling over $1.5 billion in WIFIA financing are included.
State agencies in Indiana and New Jersey may also apply for a total of $472 million in WIFIA loans through EPA’s state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program.
EPA’s SWIFIA loans are available exclusively to state infrastructure financing authority borrowers.
WIFIA Invited Projects:
- Baltimore City Department of Public Works (Maryland): $36 million for the Water Infrastructure Advancement 2021 project.
- Charlotte Water (North Carolina): $169 million for the Mallard Creek Sewer Basin Wastewater Collection and Treatment Improvements Program.
- City of Ashland (Oregon): $36 million for a 7.0 Million Gallons per Day Water Treatment Plant.
- City of Bellingham (Washington): $136 million for the Post Point Resource Recovery Plant Biosolids Project.
- City of Boise (Idaho): $272 million for Water Renewal Services Capital Investments Projects.
- City of Chattanooga (Tennessee): $186 million for Wastewater Compliance and Sustainability Projects.
- City of Cortland (New York): $12 million for the Homer Avenue Gateway Project.
- City of Memphis (Tennessee): $44 million for Stormwater Upgrades.
- City of Oregon City (Oregon): $12 million for Water Rehabilitation, Resiliency and Improvement Projects.
- City of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania): $260 million for the Water Department 2021 project.
- City of Port Washington (Wisconsin): $12 million for the Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project.
- City of Santa Cruz (California): $164 million for the Santa Cruz Water Program.
- City of Westminster (Colorado): $130 million for the Water2025 project.
- City of Wichita (Kansas): $181 million for the Wastewater Reclamation Facilities Biological Nutrient Removal Improvements Project.
- County of Hawaii (Hawaii): $24 million for Hawaii Wastewater Treatment Upgrades.
- EPCOR Foothills Water Project Inc. (Oregon): $76 million for the Lake Oswego Wastewater Treatment Replacement Project.
- Fishers Island Water Works Corporation (New York): $14 million for Water System Improvements.
- Gainesville Regional Utilities (Florida): $14 million for the Sanitary Sewer Replacement and Improvement Project.
- Helix Water District (California): $16 million for the Drinking Water Reliability Project.
- King County (Washington): $287 million Master Agreement.
- Marin Municipal Water District (California): $11 million for Marin Water.
- Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) (Montana): $278 million for MSD Project Clear - Deer Creek Watershed / Lemay Service Area System Improvements.
- Metro Water Services (Tennessee): $186 million for the Process Advancements at Omohundro and K.R. Harrington Water Treatment Plants Project.
- Narragansett Bay Commission (R.I.): $28 million for Field's Point Resiliency Improvements.
- New Castle County (Delaware): $32 million for the Christina River Force Main Rehabilitation Project.
- Project 7 Water Authority (Colorado): $39 million for the Ridgway Water Treatment Plant.
- Rialto Water Service LLC (California): $68 million for Microgrid and System Improvements.
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (California): $618 million for Wastewater Capital Plan Resilience Projects.
- Santa Clara Valley Water District (California): $575 million for the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project.
- Santa Clara Valley Water District (California): $80 million for the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program.
- Santa Margarita Water District (California): $22 million for Recycled Water Conversion.
- Sharyland Water Supply Corporation (Texas): $14 million for Sharyland Water Supply Corporation Water System Infrastructure Improvements.
- South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (Connecticut): $20 million for Lake Whitney Dam and Spillway Improvements.
- Tualatin Valley Water District (Oregon): $16 million for the Water System Upgrades Program.
- United Water Conservation District (California): $52 million for the Santa Felicia Safety Improvement Project.
- Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Infrastructure Financing Authority (California): $177 million for the Watershed Connect project.
- Village of New Lenox (Illinois): $70 million for Phase 1 Improvements projects.
Waitlist Projects:
- American Infrastructure Holdings (South Dakota): $20 million for the Sioux City Biosolids to Fertilizer Project.
- Lake Restoration Solutions, LLC (Utah): $893 million for the Utah Lake Restoration Project.
- Northern Water (Colorado): $464 million for the Northern Integrated Supply Project - Glade Reservoir Complex.
- Southland Water Agency (Illinois): $479 million for the Southland Water Agency Infrastructure System.
