The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) has released its first-ever annual report for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. Through 2019, the WIFIA program financed more than $3.5 billion in loans, which USEPA says has saved borrowers $1.2 billion dollars and has helped improve water quality for more than 20 million Americans.
The WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by the USEPA focused on helping meet the growing water infrastructure needs in communities across the country. The program provides long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance to creditworthy drinking water and wastewater projects of national and regional significance.
WIFIA loans can finance a wide range of drinking water and wastewater projects, including traditional drinking water and wastewater treatment plants and conveyance systems, water recycling and desalination plants, drought prevention and mitigation projects, stormwater management, green infrastructure, non-point source pollution control and source-water protection. Eligible WIFIA borrowers include local, State, Tribal, and Federal government entities; partnerships and joint ventures; corporations and trusts; and State Revolving Fund programs.
In 2019, USEPA invited 38 new projects to apply for WIFIA loans, totaling approximately $6 billion to help finance over $12 billion in water infrastructure investments. These projects will help support key agency priorities, including reducing lead and emergent contaminants and developing water reuse and recycling capacity. Together, the selected projects will improve water quality for 24 million people in 18 States.
For more information on the WIFIA program click here.