The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively seeking letters of interest from communities interested in its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program.
According to a news release, cities and towns in several states, including Missouri, are facing an aging drinking water infrastructure with some being over a century old. The near-term and longer-term infrastructure improvements are seldom affordable, especially for small communities.
The EPA wants to help these communities with aging infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for significant projects. The WIFIA program recently announced the availability of up to $5.5 billion in credit assistance which can be used for a wide range of infrastructure projects.
The city of Omaha, Nebraska, recently received a WIFIA loan to help finance a water infrastructure project, and the city is expected to save up to $20 million, as well as create 165 new jobs.
States, cities, utilities, and other public and private entities that are interested in applying must submit a letter of interest to EPA by July 31, 2018.
For more information, visit the website www.epa.gov.