SEATTLE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has approved funding to support Oregon’s $35 million plan for key drinking water projects and $190 million plan to improve wastewater and irrigated agriculture infrastructure, to restore streams, and to address nonpoint source pollution. The agency has also approved funding for Washington’s $22 million plan for key drinking water projects and $120 million plan to improve wastewater infrastructure.
Oregon
The sources of funding for Oregon’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include an $14.4 million grant from EPA (of which $9.4 million is available for projects), $2.8 million in state matching funds, along with interest earnings and repayments from previous DWSRF loans.
Similarly, the sources of funding for Oregon’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $17.9 million grant from EPA, $3.5 million in state matching funds, along with $168 million in interest earnings and repayments from previous CWSRF loans.
“The state revolving fund program is essential to providing all Americans the clean and safe water they deserve,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Chris Hladick. “EPA is very proud to support Oregon’s plan and we remain committed to helping communities in the state with infrastructure improvements that protect their water resources and public health.”
The EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program provides low interest loans for the construction of drinking water treatment facilities and other projects and activities vital to ensuring the delivery of clean and safe drinking water at the tap. The loans help communities keep water rates more affordable while addressing local water infrastructure challenges. Similarly, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund helps states fund large wastewater and other water quality projects.
Some of the projects to be funded in the state’s 2020 DWSRF plan include:
- $2.1 million for the Crystal Springs/Odell Water Company consolidation project. This project will help address issues with nitrates and total coliform at the spring source used by Odell Water Company.
- $9.3 million for the City of Lakeview’s water treatment system improvements project. The project will include treatment for iron, manganese and arsenic, as well as replace distribution piping and make improvements to municipal wells.
- 614,150 for the City of Cannon Beach to complete a system wide water meter replacement project. More than 1,700 water meters will be replaced with automatic meters, which will save water system resources and help educate consumers about water consumption.
A full list of Oregon’s DWSRF projects to be funded can be found here.
Oregon DEQ’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program offers below-market rate loans and bond purchases to public agencies for planning, design, construction and implementation of the following water quality improvement projects:
- Wastewater collection, treatment, water reuse and disposal systems
- Nonpoint source water pollution control projects
- Development and implementation of management plans for the Tillamook Bay and Lower Columbia River federally designated estuaries.
The state’s Intended Use Plan includes 29 loan applications for a total of $190,385,122 in requested funding. Wastewater projects in line to be funded include:
- $10.5 million to Baker City to design and construct a wastewater treatment facility and effluent disposal improvement to eliminate effluent discharge into the Powder River.
- $10 million to Bend to construct “Bend Septic Solutions” which will provide gravity sewers for a Southeast Bend neighborhood of approximately 160 homes that are currently using septic tanks.
- $9 million to Dallas to design and construct the Dallas WWTF Recycled Water Project. The city will use treated municipal wastewater for industrial paper manufacturing and system cooling as well as irrigation of a public park landscape. The project will reduce demand on the city's limited drinking water supply by an estimated 45%, because it will no longer need to be used for public park landscape irrigation.
- $38.8 million to Klamath Falls to design and construct the Spring Street Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade. The project will help protect fish and aquatic life, improve infrastructure and meet future NPDES permit requirements for public health and water quality.
A full list of Oregon’s CWSRF projects to be funded can be found here.
Washington
The sources of funding for projects on Washington’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $24.5 million grant from EPA (of which $7.6 million will be used for non-project related activities), and $5.5 million in state matching funds.
Similarly, the sources of funding for Washington’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $27.6 million grant from EPA, $5.5 million in state matching funds, along with $87 million in interest earnings and repayments from previous CWSRF loans.
“The state revolving fund program is essential to providing all Americans the clean and safe water they deserve,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Chris Hladick. “EPA is very proud to support Washington’s plan and we remain committed to helping communities in the state with infrastructure improvements that protect their water resources their health.”
The EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program provides below-market rate loans for the construction of drinking water treatment facilities and other projects and activities vital to ensuring the delivery of clean and safe drinking water at the tap. The loans help communities keep water rates more affordable while addressing local water infrastructure challenges. Similarly, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund helps states fund large wastewater and other water quality projects.
Some of the projects targeted for funding in the state’s 2020 DWSRF plan include:
- $3,030,000 to the City of Auburn for the replacement of lead goosenecks. Replacement of more than 700 of these fixtures in the City’s distribution system will help reduce the risk to human health from exposure to lead in drinking water.
- $3,030,000 to City of Spokane for a new 4.5 million-gallon reservoir to allow Spokane to reliably and consistently serve a nearby community, Airway Heights. In May 2017, Airway Heights discovered PFOS and PFOA in its wells and ceased use of the affected wells, resulting in a water shortage for Airway Heights customers. Spokane was able to supply water through an existing intertie and an emergency supplemental intertie. A new 4.5-million-gallon reservoir near Airway Heights is proposed for construction with DWSRF funding to allow Spokane to reliably serve Airway Heights.
- $2,131,100 to Olympic Water and Sewer Inc. for an arsenic treatment facility for its wells. Along with reducing exposure to arsenic, the treatment will also remove high levels of iron and manganese.
- $660,000 to the Town of Cusick to upgrade its surface water treatment plant. The project includes new pumps, a new motor control center, new SCADA system, hypochlorination, and modifications to the filters.
- $319,808 to Thurston Public Utility District for the Hawley Hills 686 Consolidation project. This project will consolidate four water systems – Hawley Hills, Deerfield Park, Deerfield Park 2, and Marvin Gardens – with Thurston PUD, which will own, operate, and maintain the consolidated systems. Improvements include a new reservoir, new main line, new booster stations, and new interties.
Washington state’s list of wastewater projects to be funded include:
- $37,141,994 to King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks for a new 70 million gallon per day capacity wet weather treatment station for treating combined sewer overflow (CSO) wastewater. The project will consist of building a wet-weather treatment station, conveyance pipelines, and an outfall structure to convey and treat combined sewage prior to discharge into the Lower Duwamish Waterway.
- $6,481,000 to Snohomish County for construction of decentralized wastewater treatment solutions to existing deficient or failing onsite wastewater systems.
- $3,988,500 to the City of Grandview for replacement of 2.5 miles of existing sanitary sewer trunk main that conveys all wastewater from the City’s collection system to its treatment plant. These improvements will reduce the potential for release of untreated sewage into the Yakima River, and risk of severe environmental degradation.
- $2,856,404 to the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Indian Reservation to improve water quality in the Chehalis River and groundwater through the design and construction of wastewater collection and treatment facilities at the Chehalis reservation in Thurston County. This project increases capacity and improves treatment of all pollutants by replacing existing infrastructure.
- $2,307,769 to the City of Aberdeen Public Works to construct a new disinfection system to replace the existing system that reached the end of its life. The project will eliminate the use, handling and transport of toxic Cl2 and SO2 gases to the WWTP Site in Aberdeen and maintain reliable wastewater disinfection to protect shellfish production areas and public health in Grays Harbor.
A full list of Washington’s DWSRF projects to be funded can be found here.
A full list of Washington’s CWSRF projects to be funded can be found here.
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