EPA grants $32 million to Oregon for drinking water, wastewater infrastructure improvements

State estimates $70 million for wastewater, $70 million for drinking water projects

SEATTLE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will help fund Oregon’s $70 million plan for key drinking water projects and $70 million plan to improve wastewater infrastructure.

In addition to this round of funding, Congress recently passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act /Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will inject another $92 million into Oregon’s two State Revolving Fund programs in 2022.

“Clean and safe water is a basic right, but at the same time something we can’t take for granted” said EPA Region 10’s Water Division Director Dan Opalski. “EPA is proud to invest along with our state partners in these projects that will benefit the health of Oregon’s communities.”

The EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program provides below-market rate loans for the construction of drinking water treatment facilities and other projects and activities vital to ensuring the delivery of clean and safe drinking water at the tap. The loans help communities keep water rates more affordable while addressing local water infrastructure challenges. Similarly, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund helps states fund large wastewater and other water quality projects.

Some of the projects to be funded in the state’s 2021-2022 drinking water plan include:

• $20,000 for the Round Lake Mobile Home Park feasibility study. This project will identify solutions for water system improvements as well as evaluate the adequacy of long-term water supply for this water system.
• $19,587 to the city of Gates to replace outdated monitoring equipment and alleviate drinking water quality concerns. Gates will also receive $30,000 from Oregon’s DWSRF Drinking Water Source Protection Fund (DWSPF).  These funds will be used to install temporary monitoring equipment, collect samples, and then analyze and share the data to gain a better understanding of post fire impacts on sources of drinking water.
• $100,000 to the Rhododendron Water Association for the purchase of a Riparian Management Area and conservation easement on privately owned timber land to protect the system’s drinking water intake from clear-cut logging activity that could have created water quality issues.
• $862,145 to Crescent Water Supply and Improvement District will be used for water master planning and well construction.
• $1,660,761 to Christmas Valley Domestic Water Supply District for distribution system improvements. The project will result in replacement of approximately three miles of distribution piping to help address water loss due to aging steel distribution pipe failure.

The state’s list of wastewater projects to be funded include:

• $30,056,061 to the city of Sweet Home to help the wastewater treatment plant achieve Clean Water Act compliance. The city of Sweet Home project affects a disadvantaged community.
• $1,2500,000 to the city of Bend to address city climate action goals through a collections system master plan update.
• $2,000,000 to the Lone Pine Irrigation District for modernization of the of the irrigation system. The Lone Pine Irrigation District qualifies as a disadvantaged community.
• $2,313,231 to the city of Madras to a wastewater collection expansion, allowing residences currently on septic to connect to the city sewer. The city of Madras qualifies as a disadvantaged community.

The sources of funding for Oregon’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $14.4 million grant from EPA, $2.8 million in state matching funds, along with $58 million in interest earnings and repayments from previous DWSRF loans.

Similarly, the sources of funding for Oregon’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $17.9 million grant from EPA, $3.6 million in state matching funds, along with $52.5 million in interest earnings and repayments from previous CWSRF loans.

A full list of Oregon’s DWSRF projects to be funded can be found at:
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/DRINKINGWATER/SRF/Documents/IUP-PN.pdf

A full list of Oregon’s CWSRF projects to be funded can be found at:
Proposed Intended Use Plan State Fiscal Year 2018 (oregon.gov)

For more information about EPA’s State Revolving Fund Programs go to:
https://www.epa.gov/dwsrf
https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf