Agency Announces Another Round of Stimulus Awards

• Aug 25, 2009

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced American Recovery and Reinvestment awards to several states and U.S. territories for clean water and drinking water state revolving fund programs as well as water quality management programs.

The award amounts and their recipients include:

• $37,750,000 million to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF);
• $669,600 to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Water Quality Management Planning (WQMP);
• $40,148,200 to the state of South Carolina's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program, $19,500,000 for the DWSRF, and $405,500 for WQMP;
• $43,821,600 to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, CWSRF and $19,500,000 for DWSRF;
• $35,308,300 to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for the CWSRF;
• $108,641,800 to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for the CWSRF and $37,862,000 for the DWSRF;
• $535,000 to Guam for the rehabilitation of portions of the Umatac-Merizo Wastewater Treatment Plant to include replacement of pumps, replacement of valves for the percolation transpiration fields, installation of new aerators and mixers for the treatment lagoon, and dredging of the treatment lagoon and $200,000 for WQMP;
• $350,000 to the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands for the rerouting and realignment of sewer collection lines to enhance the management of wastewater, significantly reducing energy usage and operation and maintenance costs.
• $200,000 to American Samoa for WQMP.
• over $25 million to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for the CWSRF.

The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program provides low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. The program also emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and to programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water. An unprecedented $2 billion will be awarded to fund drinking water infrastructure projects across the country under the Recovery Act in the form of low-interest loans, principal forgiveness and grants. At least 20 percent of the funds provided under the Recovery Act are to be used for green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative projects.

WQMP grants support a broad range of activities, such as setting standards, monitoring the quality of the water, developing plans to restore polluted waters, and identifying ways to protect healthy waters from becoming polluted. States are also encouraged to use these funds for more innovative planning activities like developing plans to adapt to climate change, analyzing trends in water availability and use, and creating low-impact development programs.