The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality a grant of more than $14.6 million to fund clean-water projects in the state. The grant goes to the state’s Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF), which provides low-interest, flexible loans to communities to help them improve water quality and infrastructure.
These funds will be used by the state of Louisiana to provide loans and other types of financial assistance to communities and state agencies for wastewater improvements. This will help improve water quality in streams, lakes, rivers and bays, benefiting aquatic life and sources of drinking water. It can also contribute to improved public health by reducing hazards such as raw sewage discharges.
For more than 25 years, the CWSRF has served as the nation’s largest source of water-quality financing, helping communities improve water quality, protect aquatic wildlife, protect and restore drinking water sources, and preserve waters for recreational use. Since 1987, CWSRFs have provided $105.4 billion to communities through 34,900 low-cost loans.
For more about the CWSRF, visit water.epa.gov/grants_funding/cwsrf/cwsrf_index.cfm. For more about EPA’s work in Louisiana, visit www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-louisiana.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
