Virgin Islands, Guam Receive Millions in Stimulus Funds
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $4,061,700 to the U.S. Virgin Islands and $3,960,500 to Guam to help finance overdue improvements to water projects. The funds are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, administrated by the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (VIDPNR), will receive $1,999,000. The program provides low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements and emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and to programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water. VIDPNR will also receive a $100,000 Water Quality Management Planning grant, which supports setting water quality standards, water monitoring efforts, developing plans to restore polluted waters and identifying ways to protect healthy waters from becoming polluted.
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, administrated by the Virgin Islands Department of Public Works, will receive $1,962,700. The program provides low-interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management.
Guam will receive $1,836,500 for its wastewater construction program. The EPA grant provides funding for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management. Guam also will receive $2,124,000 to improve its drinking water system.