Water Finance

By Jason Mumm The numbers that guide affordability policies in the water sector have been with us for decades. They are 2 percent of the median household income for wastewater, 2.5 percent for drinking water, and 4.5 percent combined; most practitioners have treated them asRead More

By Denise Schmidt The United States is approaching a water infrastructure funding cliff just as a key financing tool is being weakened. State Revolving Funds (SRFs) are one of the most effective infrastructure financing tools in the United States. The revolving nature of SRFs enabledRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $25.5 million in grant funding for technical assistance providers to help small, rural, and Tribal communities address wastewater infrastructure challenges to protect human health and comply with the Clean Water Act. EPA said the workRead More

In early June, the House Appropriations Committee held a full committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY2027) Interior, Environment and Related Agencies spending bill that includes a 16% reduction in State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) spending for water and wastewater projects.   According to a summaryRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection announced a $40 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan for South Sioux City, Nebraska, to support upgrades and expansions to its wastewater treatment facility. This loan will help the city install new systems to treat wastewater, reducing costsRead More

During Water Week 2026 in April, a press conference at the National Press Club brought together leading water experts, policymakers, financiers, utility leaders and innovators to examine U.S. water infrastructure policy. The event was hosted by BPR, sponsored by ASTERRA and moderated by Paul Gagliardo,Read More

American Water Works Association (AWWA) CEO David LaFrance will be on hand to deliver an opening keynote at the 2026 Water Finance Conference in Denver, Colorado, Aug. 4-5, at the University of Denver. At AWWA, LaFrance leads a global organization of 50,000 members dedicated toRead More

Earlier in May, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567), which reauthorizes agricultural, food, and rural development programming for the next five years. According to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), which released some detailRead More

The Senate has introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish a 30 percent investment tax credit to help manufacturers and other industrial entities ramp up their use of recycled water rather than other freshwater supplies. The Advancing Water Reuse Act was introduced by Senators Ben RayRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has released its 2026 State of the Water Industry (SOTWI) Report, which shows that infrastructure renewal and replacement is the top challenge among water sector professionals. Financing for capital improvements followed behind at No. 2. The annual State of the Water IndustryRead More