Water Finance

National Water Policy Fly-In to headline Water Week 2023

National Water Policy Fly-In to headline Water Week 2023

Next week, water sector leaders will gather in the nation’s capital for Water Week, an annual week of in-person meetings, events and Capitol Hill visits with lawmakers to discuss the most critical issues facing water. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the WaterRead More

Biden administration announces billions in DWSRF funds for states, tribes, territories

Biden administration announces billions in DWSRF funds for states, tribes, territories

Washington Report, Water Finance, Water Management April 17, 2023 at 8:00 am

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced more than $6.5 billion for states, tribes and territories for essential drinking water infrastructure upgrades across the nation through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).   Through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is increasingRead More

Silicon Valley Bank, Interest Rates & WIFIA

Silicon Valley Bank, Interest Rates & WIFIA

Water Finance April 6, 2023 at 7:05 am

By John Ryan Rapidly rising interest rates were a primary cause of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse. Its multiple consequences will almost certainly mark the start of an extended period of interest rate volatility. The Federal Reserve is steering a narrow course between taming inflation and inflictingRead More

Fitch Ratings: Debt for utilities would increase under proposed PFAS rules

Fitch Ratings: Debt for utilities would increase under proposed PFAS rules

Water Finance April 4, 2023 at 7:14 am

According to Fitch Ratings, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently proposed rule setting limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water would increase public water utilities’ debt burden as a result of the added costs of compliance. A recent press release fromRead More

The Water Pipe Market Shifts to Sustainable PVC in Times of Growth & Drought

The Water Pipe Market Shifts to Sustainable PVC in Times of Growth & Drought

| By Gregory M. Baird Cities across the United States are struggling with maintaining existing infrastructure with supply chain disruptions and rising costs of equipment, manpower and supplies. Likewise, developers are faced with many challenges to plan, finance and build basic infrastructure and housing unitsRead More

How Small Players Can Leverage Infrastructure Funding

How Small Players Can Leverage Infrastructure Funding

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance April 3, 2023 at 8:06 am

| By Robert Sheets Last summer, Ellory Monks and Shalini Vajjhala writing for the Brookings Institute, noted that $850 billion of funding is coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). They rightfully note that funding like this typically goes to larger, wealthier communities.Read More

In 2016, DC Water issued a unique $25 million Environmental Impact Bond, the proceeds of which went to green infrastructure projects to reduce the flow of stormwater into the Potomac River.

PFAS is Lining Up to be the Most Expensive Environmental Hazard in History

Legal Corner, Water Finance March 15, 2023 at 7:00 am

By Michael DiGiannantonio The U.S. EPA has released its proposed maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) – two common types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Under the proposed MCLs, drinking water utilities across the country would be forcedRead More

EPA Headquarters building at the Federal Triangle in Washington, DC.

EPA to ‘aggressively confront’ PFAS with first-ever proposed standard

Washington Report, Water Finance, Water Management March 14, 2023 at 11:30 am

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is proposing the first-ever national drinking water standard for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” The much anticipated announcement is the latest action under President Joe Biden’s plan to combat PFAS pollution andRead More

Staying Ahead of Lead

Staying Ahead of Lead

Rehab & Replacement, Water Finance, Water Management March 13, 2023 at 6:07 am

What the Scope of LCRR Compliance Work Will Consist of in 2023 & How Lead Has Impacted Public Trust of Water Systems In short, when it comes to complying with the U.S. EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), water utilities have a lot onRead More

EPA’s 100th WIFIA loan to invest in Santa Clara County, California

EPA’s 100th WIFIA loan to invest in Santa Clara County, California

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $115 million to Santa Clara Valley Water District in Santa Clara County, California, to improve resiliency of the system’s water infrastructure. The announcement marks the 99th and 100th loansRead More