The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced on February 18 that it provides more than $ 250 million in low cost loans to support water infrastructure projects in Florida and Utah. The loans are the first EPAs they have announced by virtue of the current Trump administration, although they both closed on January 16, according to records.
A financing and innovation loan of $ 147 million water infrastructure (Wifia) is planned for Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority to help fund nine projects in the Miami-Dade and Monroe counties estimated at a cost of 300 Millions of dollars collectively. The projects cover updates to a water treatment facility that include new infrastructures to address PFAs in drinking water, as well as the main transmission and updates of the storage tank. Work will help improve system reliability and to protect infrastructure against damage caused by salt water intrusion, according to EPA.
“This collaboration allows the authority to maintain the delivery of safe, reliable and potable water while also mitigating the risk of widespread disruptions during emergencies and events related to disasters,” said Greg Veliz, executive director of Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, in a statement in a statement in a statement. .
This is the second EPA WIFIA loan to Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. Officials previously announced a $ 49 million loan to the agency in 2018 to help replace a reverse osmosis facility, a bomb station and about 12 kilometers from pipes.
Wifia loans offer favorable terms for the planning, design and construction of water infrastructure project agencies. EPA officials say that Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority will save about $ 29.5 million in Loan life under Wifia, compared to traditional funding options.
“I will always work with local, public and private partners to help the EPA achieve its goal to carry out our main mission to carry clean air, land and water to all North -Americans,” said the administrator of the EPA, Lee Zeldin, in a statement.
The second $ 110 million WiFia loan, $ 110 million, will go to the Water Conservation District of the Northern Utah Weber Basin. The money will support District 4 and 5 of $ 224 million in the district. The scope of the work includes the expansion of two water treatment plants, the replacement of water storage tanks and the construction of new infrastructure.
The EPA estimates that the Conservancy district will save about $ 19 million taking advantage of the Wifia loan.
The Wifia program is currently in the eighth round, for a total of $ 7.5 billion. The program has announced more than $ 21 billion in funding since 2018, according to EPA.
