The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 2 $5 billion in financing awarded through its Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. The $5 billion will likely be leveraged to help finance more than $10 billion in large-scale infrastructure projects.
Thirty-nine projects across 16 states were invited to apply for financing. California was the top recipient with Oregon coming in second.
The projects to receive financing range from construction or replacement of water and wastewater treatment plants, lead service line replacement, groundwater replenishment projects, and desalination projects. NGWA played an integral role in making sure that managed aquifer recharge projects were eligible to receive WIFIA financing as well.
WIFIA was recently reauthorized by the U.S. Congress for two years, and its designation as a pilot program was also removed, providing additional certainty to this popular program.
A list of all the projects announced in the second round of financing can be viewed
here.