EPA Invites 38 Projects to Apply for Water Infrastructure Loans to Improve Water Quality for 24 Million Americans, Create almost 200,000 Jobs

Including three projects for the Baltimore Dept. of Public Works

October 23, 2019

PHILADELPHA (October 23, 2019) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting a total of 38 projects in 18 states to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. Together, the selected borrowers will apply for WIFIA loans totaling approximately $6 billion to help finance over $12 billion in water infrastructure investments and create almost 200,000 jobs.

“Through WIFIA, EPA is playing an integral role in President Trump’s efforts to improve and upgrade our nation’s water infrastructure and ensure all Americans have access to clean and safe water,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This announcement highlights billions of dollars in needed water infrastructure investments to upgrade aging infrastructure, reduce exposure to lead and emerging contaminants and improve the lives of millions of Americans across the country – all while creating almost 200,000 jobs.”

EPA’s WIFIA loans will allow communities across the country to implement projects to address national water priorities – including providing for clean and safe drinking water by reducing exposure to lead and emerging contaminants, addressing aging water infrastructure and developing water recycling and reuse projects. EPA received 51 letters of interest from both public and private entities in response to the 2019 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). After a robust, statutorily required review process, the WIFIA Selection Committee chose to include the Baltimore City Department of Public Works for three projects:

• $210 million available for a drinking water infrastructure rehabilitation projects to improve the reliability and performance of the water distribution system, which provides direct public health benefits such as improved drinking water quality and reduction of water borne diseases.

• $129 million available for wastewater infrastructure rehabilitation to rehabilitate and upgrade major components of its wastewater collection and treatment facilities to help ensure system reliability, safeguard the public health and environmental quality, and continue compliance with permits and other relevant regulations.

• $55 million available for stormwater management projects to complete 10 stormwater projects to fulfill the Total Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sediment reduction requirements for the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, assist in flooding issues, and repair and replace aging infrastructure.

“Improving water infrastructure in aging cities like Baltimore is important to protecting our valuable water sources and ensuring clean and safe drinking water,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “Additionally, infrastructure improvements in Baltimore are critical to improving and protecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, a true national treasure.”

Other projects selected nationwide include:

• City of Phoenix (Arizona): Zone 3D and 4A Improvements Program; $172 million

• City of San Mateo (California): Basins 2 and 3 Collection System Improvements Project; $85 million

• Soquel Creek Water District (California): Pure Water Soquel; $49 million

• City of Oceanside (California): Buccaneer Sewer Lift Station and Force Main Project; $47 million

• City of Oceanside (California): Pure Water Oceanside and Lower Recycled Water Distribution System Expansion Project; $57 million

• South Coast Water District (California): Doheny Ocean Desalination Project; $60 million

• Monterey One Water (California): Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project; $44 million

• Poseidon Resources LP (Channelside, California): Huntington Beach Desalination Plant; $585 million

• City of Daly City (California): Vista Grande Drainage Basin Improvement Project; $61 million

• City of Roseville (California): Roseville’s Water Future Initiative; $37 million

• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (California): Southeast Plant New Headworks Facility Project; $236 million

• San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (California): Jones Pumping Plant Unit Motor Rehabilitation Project; $19 million

• Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District (California): Secondary Effluent Project; $12 million

• East County Advanced Water Purification Joint Powers Authority (California): Water Purification Project; $342 million

• Polk Regional Water Cooperative (Florida); Alterative Water Supplies Program: $235 million

• Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (Florida): South District Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion; $223 million

• City of Atlanta (Georgia); Water Distribution System Resiliency Program; $35 million

• City of Joliet (Illinois): Joliet Alternative Water Source Program; loan amount TBD

• Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (Louisiana): Sewer System Evaluation & Rehabilitation Program; $111 million

• Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority (Michigan): Biosolids Dryer Facility & Other Critical Projects; $13 million

• New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (New Jersey): Infrastructure Bank Pool; $149 million

• Greenville Utilities Commission (North Carolina): GUC Water Treatment Plant Phase 1 Upgrades; $29 million

• Metro Flood Diversion Authority (North Dakota): Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project; $561 million

• City of Beaverton (Oregon): Water Supply Improvement Program; $58 million

• City of Portland (Oregon): Bull Run Treatment Program; $554 million

• Narragansett Bay Commission (Rhode Island); Bucklin Point Resiliency Improvements; $17 million

• Bristol County Water Authority (Rhode Island): Pawtucket Pipeline; $26 million

• Columbia Power & Water Systems (Tennessee): Long Term Water Supply Program; $106 million

• Salt Lake City (Utah): Department of Public Utilities; Water Reclamation Facility Nutrient Project; $355 million

• City of Alexandria (Virginia), Virginia, Sanitation Authority: Tunnel System; $189 million

• Hampton Roads Sanitation District (Virginia): Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow; $930 million

• City of Newport News (Virginia), Waterworks Department; Advance Metering Infrastructure Project: $24 million

• City of Tacoma Sewer Utility (Washington): Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Electrical Distribution System Replacement Project; $17 million

• King County (Washington): Ship Canal Water Quality Project; $98 million

• City of Wausau (Wisconsin): Drinking Water System Treatment Facility Project; $22 million

  To learn more about the 39 projects that are invited to apply, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-selected-projects.  

  Background

  Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. WIFIA's aim is to accelerate investment in the nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term and low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. EPA's WIFIA program plays an important part in President Trump's infrastructure plan, which calls for expanding project eligibility. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

  For more information about the WIFIA program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia.