The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a $14.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Palmdale Water District (PWD) in Southern California. The agency said the loan will assist the district’s regional advanced water augmentation program to expand the water supply by and establish a drought-proof drinking water supply for more than 125,000 residents.
“We are grateful to the EPA for awarding this loan for our Pure Water Antelope Valley Demonstration Facility,” said PWD General Manager Dennis D. LaMoreaux. “It gives us the funds needed to build a project that will enable us to be more drought-proof, have local control of our water, and improve the groundwater quality and quantity.”
The PWD is developing an advanced water augmentation program to purify recycled water for potable use for its residents. By using recycled water, the district will create a reliable water supply and provide an alternative to the drought-affected Antelope Valley Basin.
With the help of the WIFIA loan, the district plans to construct a small-scale advanced water purification demonstration facility to conduct necessary water testing. They will also test an emerging technology, called direct air capture, which is designed to transform brine into a solvent. It will capture carbon dioxide, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lower operation and maintenance costs. The district will use information collected at the demonstration facility to complete planning, design and construction of the full-scale advanced water purification facility and new groundwater injection wells.
“California is no stranger to drought impacts, and we are seeing a need for communities to invest in drought resilient water supply as they prepare for future climate stress,” said EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “We are thrilled to help the Palmdale Water District advance their project ensuring a plentiful and resilient water supply through EPA’s low-cost financing.”
This is the first WIFIA loan under a master agreement that will commit a total of $145 million to develop its advanced water purification program. With this first loan, the district is expected to save $4 million in interest compared to traditional financing and create about 50 jobs.
Since 2018, the EPA’s WIFIA program has announced over $20 billion in financing to support more than $44 billion in water infrastructure projects that are strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating more than 140,000 jobs.
Learn more about the EPA’s WIFIA Program and water infrastructure investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The EPA is currently in its seventh selection round for WIFIA financing. In this round, the EPA is offering $6.5 billion through WIFIA, and $1 billion through SWIFIA, which is a loan program exclusively for State infrastructure financing authority borrowers. EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and SWIFIA loans. Learn more about submitting a letter of interest for a WIFIA loan.
Source: EPA
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