The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday announced it is inviting the City of Lancaster to apply for $22 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan.
“Through WIFIA, EPA is playing an integral role in President Trump’s efforts to improve and upgrade our nation’s water infrastructure and ensure all Americans have access to clean and safe water,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This year, EPA will help finance over $10 billion in water infrastructure investments that will create up to 155,000 jobs, upgrade aging infrastructure, reduce lead exposure, and improve the lives of millions of Americans across the country.”
After a robust, statutorily required review process, Lancaster was among 39 projects selected nationwide from a group of 62 prospective borrowers, representing large and small communities, who submitted letters of interest to EPA in response to the 2018 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability.
Together, the selected borrowers will receive WIFIA loans totaling up to $5 billion to help finance over $10 billion in water infrastructure investments and create up to 155,000 jobs.
The Lancaster sewer system improvement would contribute to the potential elimination of two combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to improve water quality, evaluate, and implement groundwater removal from the sewer system, and provide a conduit for the redirection of stormwater currently entering the combined sewer system.
Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects.
EPA’s WIFIA loans will allow large and small communities across the country to implement projects to address two national water priorities-- providing for clean and safe drinking water including reducing exposure to lead and other contaminants and addressing aging water infrastructure.
To learn more about the 39 projects that are invited to apply and about EPA’s WIFIA program, visit EPA’s FY 2018 Selected Projects webpage.
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