The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $7.5 billion in Water Infrastructure and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding. The WIFIA program offers long-term loans to help communities implement critical water infrastructure projects. Examples of eligible projects (or combinations of projects) under this funding announcement include: (1) a wide range of drinking water infrastructure projects – including treatment, transmission and distribution, source, storage, consolidation/partnerships, and the creation of new systems – that are eligible under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund; (2) a wide range of wastewater, stormwater, and nonpoint source projects that are eligible under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund; (3) repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of drinking water, wastewater, or stormwater infrastructure; (4) energy efficiency enhancements for a public water system or publicly owned treatment works; (5) desalination, aquifer storage and recovery, water recycling, or other projects to provide an alternative water supply and reduce aquifer depletion; (6) drought prevention, reduction, or mitigation projects; (7) acquisition of real property or an interest in real property; (8) a combination of drinking water and wastewater projects submitted by a state infrastructure financing authority; and (9) a combination of eligible projects, secured by a common security pledge, for which a single entity, or a combination of eligible entities, submits a single application. A complete list of eligible projects can be found on the EPA’s website.
Letters of Intent are due by October 1, 2024 and should be submitted on the EPA’s SharePoint website. Applicants can gain access to the EPA’s SharePoint website by emailing wifia@epa.gov.