US$7.5bn funding unveiled for US water infrastructure projects

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced US$7.5 billion in available Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding.

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The low-interest loan program helps communities invest in drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.

Under EPA’s 7th round of WIFIA financing, US$6.5 billion is available through the WIFIA program and US$1 billion via the State WIFIA (SWIFIA) program, which provides loans exclusively for State infrastructure financing authority borrowers.

Priority areas for this new round of funding include increasing investment in economically stressed communities; making rapid progress on lead service line replacement; addressing PFAS and emerging contaminants; mitigating the impacts of drought; and supporting water innovation and resilience.

“When we invest in water, we support healthy people, economic opportunity, environmental protection, and good-paying local jobs,” said EPA administrator Michael Regan. “This new funding from the WIFIA program – coupled with President Biden’s historic US$50 billion investment in water through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – bolsters EPA’s efforts to ensure communities across the country have solid water infrastructure and reliable access to safe and clean water.”

To date, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced US$19 billion to help finance 109 projects across the United States. These projects are creating over 60,000 jobs.