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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the 2021 notice of funding availability under the agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program and state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program.
According to the EPA, the WIFIA loan program has become one of the most effective tools used to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure. To date, EPA’s 49 WIFIA loans have provided more than $9.3 billion in credit assistance to help finance nearly $20 billion for water infrastructure.
This round of WIFIA funding will provide up to $5.5 billion and prioritizes five areas:
- Supporting economically stressed communities.
- Protecting water infrastructure against the impacts of climate change.
- Reducing exposure to lead and addressing emerging contaminants.
- Updating aging infrastructure.
- Implementing new or innovative approaches including cybersecurity and green infrastructure.
EPA is also announcing $1 billion in funding under SWIFIA. This program, which was authorized by Congress as part of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018, offers low-interest loans to state water infrastructure programs that then help finance needed water infrastructure projects in local communities.
Applicants for funding must submit letters of interest using WIFIA’s statutory and regulatory criteria as described in the notice of funding availability. EPA will then review and select projects that it intends to fund and invite them to apply.
WIFIA credit assistance can be used for a wide range of projects, including:
- Drinking water treatment and distribution projects.
- Wastewater conveyance and treatment projects.
- Nonpoint source pollution management program.
- Management, reduction, treatment, or recapture of stormwater.
- National estuary program projects.
- Enhanced energy efficiency projects at drinking water and wastewater facilities.
- Desalination, aquifer recharge, alternative water supply, and water recycling projects.
- Drought prevention, reduction, or mitigation projects
Deadline to submit letters of interest for SWIFIA and WIFIA, is June 25 and July 23 respectively.
For more information about WIFIA and this funding announcement, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia.
