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Loans will help make critical investments in communities to improve water quality for 22 million Americans

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting 12 projects in California and one project in Arizona to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. A total of 39 projects have been invited to apply nationwide.

“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 Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This year, EPA will help finance over $10 billion in water infrastructure investments that will create up to 155,000 jobs, upgrade aging infrastructure, reduce lead exposure, and improve the lives of millions of Americans across the country.”

EPA’s WIFIA loans will allow large and small communities across the country to implement projects to address two national water priorities – providing for clean and safe drinking water, including reducing exposure to lead and other contaminants, and addressing aging water infrastructure.

EPA received 62 letters of interest from both public and private entities in response to the 2018 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). After a robust, statutorily required review process, the WIFIA Selection Committee chose the following 13 prospective borrowers’ projects to submit applications for loans in EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region:

City of Phoenix; Water Main Replacement Program; $49 million (Arizona)
San Mateo-Foster City Public Financing Authority; San Mateo Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade and Expansion Project; $277 million (California)
Coachella Valley Water District; Coachella Valley Stormwater Channel Improvement Project; $22 million (California)
Poseidon Resources (Channelside) LP; Carlsbad Intake Project; $32 million (California)
City of Stockton Public Financing Authority; Regional Wastewater Control Facility Modifications Project; $53 million (California)
Silicon Valley Clean Water; SVCW RESCU; $181 million (California)
City of Sunnyvale; Sunnyvale Cleanwater Program Phase 2; $166 million (California)
San Juan Water District; Hinkle and Kokila Reservoir Rehabilitation and Replacement; $12 million (California)
City of Los Angeles; Donald C. Tillman Advanced Water Purification Facility; $185 million (California)
Inland Empire Utilities Agency; RP-5 Expansion Project; $138 million (California)
Sanitation District No. 2 of Los Angeles County; Joint Water Pollution Control Plant Effluent Outfall Tunnel; $426 million (California)
City of Antioch; Brackish Water Desalination Project; $32 million (California)
Coachella Valley Water District; North Indio Regional Flood Control Project; $29 million (California)

Background
Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. EPA’s WIFIA loans will allow large and small communities across the country to implement projects to address two national water priorities – providing for clean and safe drinking water including reducing exposure to lead and other contaminants and addressing aging water infrastructure.

To date, EPA has issued four loans totaling over $1 billion in WIFIA credit assistance. Combined, these four projects will create over 5,000 jobs.

According to EPA's estimate of national drinking water and wastewater needs, over $743 billion is needed for water infrastructure improvements. EPA’s WIFIA program plays an important part in fulfilling this need and in the President’s Infrastructure Plan, which calls for expanding project eligibility.

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

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

Contact: Tayler Covington, (212) 637-3662, covington.tayler@epa.gov

NEW YORK - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of funding that could provide as much as $5.5 billion in loans, which could leverage over $11 billion in water infrastructure projects through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. Prospective borrowers seeking WIFIA credit assistance must submit a letter of interest (LOI) by July 6, 2018.

“Thanks to the President’s leadership, this WIFIA funding will spark new investments to repair our nation’s crumbling water infrastructure,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “EPA will play a key role in the President’s infrastructure efforts by incentivizing states, municipalities, and public-private partnerships to protect public health, fix local infrastructure problems, create jobs, and provide clean water to communities.”

The WIFIA program received $63 million in funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 23, 2018. This more than doubles the program’s funding from 2017. Leveraging private capital and other funding sources, these projects could support $11 billion in water infrastructure investment and create more than 170,000 jobs. This year’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) highlights the importance of protecting public health including reducing exposure to lead and other contaminants in drinking water systems and updating the nation’s aging infrastructure.

What is WIFIA? It’s the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. And it has $5.5 billion in credit available now to finance over $11 billion projects. Learn more: https://t.co/phgbRVVrHW pic.twitter.com/GAVZlNd5wv

— U.S. EPA (@EPA) April 5, 2018

“New York knows all too well the costs of storm damaged water and wastewater systems. All of us have witnessed just how vulnerable our infrastructure is,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “Funding critical repairs and improving resiliency in our wastewater treatment and drinking water distribution systems remains a critical priority. We need investment to protect and promote our communities, our local economies, and public health.”

The WIFIA program will play an important part in making vital improvements to the nation’s water infrastructure and implementing the President’s Infrastructure Plan, which calls for increasing the program’s funding authorization and expanding project eligibility.

Background

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects.

WIFIA credit assistance can be used for a wide range of projects, including:

drinking water treatment and distribution projects
wastewater conveyance and treatment projects
enhanced energy efficiency projects at drinking water and wastewater facilities
desalination, aquifer recharge, alternative water supply, and water recycling project
drought prevention, reduction, or mitigation projects

EPA will evaluate proposed projects described in the LOIs using WIFIA’s statutory and regulatory criteria as described in the NOFA. Through this competitive process, EPA will select projects that it intends to fund and invite them to continue to the application process.

In 2017, for WIFIA’s inaugural round, EPA invited 12 projects in 9 states to apply for more than $2 billion in WIFIA loans.

For more information about WIFIA and this funding announcement, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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