The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced more than $351 million in funding for the City of Fort Worth, Texas.
The funds include an approved loan of $347 million from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program and selection of Fort Worth to receive $4,817,344 million from the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program.
Fort Worth’s WIFIA loan will be used to upgrade wastewater collection and treatment and support beneficial water reuse. A newly designed and built water reclamation facility will meet the needs of a growing population while treating wastewater to be reused for industrial and irrigation purposes. The SWIFR grant will help launch the Reuse Program and Recycling Enhancement Project to collect appliances, building materials, furniture, and electronics for reuse at drop-off locations.
“Fort Worth’s growth has made it a premier destination in Texas for families and businesses, and has created a greater need for clean water infrastructure and materials management services,” said Regional Administrator Scott Mason. “Funding from EPA can help this great city increase capacity to meet those needs and continue the historic pace of growth.”
“Fort Worth is committed to making smart, future-focused investments that keep our city strong and affordable for the families and businesses who call it home,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “The EPA’s WIFIA loan for the Mary’s Creek Water Reclamation Facility allows us to stretch every dollar by securing low interest rates and flexible repayment terms.
“The solid waste grant helps us expand the reuse and recycling services our community relies on,” she continued. “Together, these investments are a major win for our wastewater and solid waste ratepayers and reinforce our commitment to delivering high-quality, cost-effective services as Fort Worth continues to grow.”
The WIFIA program is an EPA-operated bank that provides supplemental, flexible, low-cost credit assistance to public and private borrowers for all types of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects. WIFIA offers long-term loans that can be combined with State Revolving Fund assistance, municipal bonds, and federal and state grants to help communities deliver more critical water infrastructure projects for a lower cost with less impact on rate payers.
Like a bank, the WIFIA program has funding available on an ongoing basis. This allows prospective a wide variety of borrowers to request financing on their schedule. Prospective borrowers can apply for and receive WIFIA loans at nearly any stage of project completion and can even receive financing for planning and design-only loans.
In latest round of WIFIA funding, the program selected two private entities and five small communities to submit loan applications. To date, WIFIA program has announced $22 billion to help finance over 140 projects across the country that are creating more than 160,000 jobs.
EPA’s SWIFR program provides grants to improve post-consumer materials management and infrastructure; support improvements to local post-consumer materials management and recycling programs; and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems. This initiative supports economic development in communities across the nation.
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