- The Washington State Department of Ecology has announced the latest round of funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program, which provides low-interest loans for water infrastructure projects.
- The focus of this round of funding is on small and rural communities, which often face challenges in accessing funding for water infrastructure projects. Many of these communities are underserved EJ areas.
- The program is a partnership between the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the funding comes from federal grants, loan repayments, and interest earnings.
- The Department of Ecology is encouraging small and rural communities to apply for the latest round of funding, and is also offering technical assistance to help communities develop and submit their applications.
By Washington State Department of Ecology | January 30, 2023
We’re proposing to award $303 million in grants and loans for 114 high-priority clean water projects across the state. Our Water Quality Combined Funding program supports communities by helping them upgrade wastewater treatment and sewer systems, manage polluted stormwater, and complete a variety of other projects to prevent and clean up diffuse sources of pollution, also known as nonpoint pollution.
In 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and reauthorized the Capitalization Grant, which contributes funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. For state fiscal year 2024, this includes approximately $31 million in BIL supplemental funding focused on assisting small, financially disadvantaged communities and $1.6 million of forgivable-principal loan funding to address emerging contaminants, such as 6PPD. This chemical was recently identified as a significant pollutant contributing to salmon mortality. Forgivable-principal loans do not have to be repaid. Additionally, EPA is providing an estimated $2 million from the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse municipal grants program, which we are including in the Water Quality Combined Funding program…
Nearly 90% of the funding the Water Quality Program receives is passed through to local communities for environmental and infrastructure projects. Our clean-water funding comes from a mix of state and federal funds dedicated for water quality improvements and protection. State financial managers calculate that 11 direct and indirect jobs are created in Washington for every $1 million spent on building clean-water infrastructure. That means this round of grants and loans could result in over 3,000 jobs
Read more from Washington State Department of Ecology.
