The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has allotted $197 million to New York State to help finance improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment. The Agency has also approved $74 million for clean water projects in New Jersey and $27 million for projects in Puerto Rico. The funds will be used to finance water quality protection and drinking water projects that will last far into the future.
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?This funding will improve water quality and protect drinking water across [New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico],? said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. ?Clean drinking water and proper wastewater treatment are fundamental to protecting people?s health, but aging water infrastructure needs to be upgraded and repaired. EPA?s funding helps [New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico] to continue its program to invest in drinking water and wastewater systems and protect people?s health.?
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Clean Water State Revolving Fund programs provide low-interest loans for water quality protection projects to make improvements to wastewater treatment systems, control pollution from rain water runoff, and protect sensitive water bodies and estuaries.
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The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs provide low-interest loans to finance improvements to drinking water systems, with a particular focus on providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities.
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Since 1989, the EPA has awarded over $5.6 billion to New York through these programs, $2.3 billion to New Jersey and $700 million to Puerto Rico.
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As communities develop and climate patterns shift, water infrastructure needs can only be expected to grow. Green infrastructure is a?cost-effective and resilient approach to water infrastructure needs that provides benefits to communities across the nation.
For more information on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, visit
http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/cwsrf/cwsrf_index.cfm.
For information on the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, visit
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwsrf/.
