Update on State Water Funds
Kate Burum
Client Funding Specialist
The recent passage of federal legislation to extend government funding through the end of the fiscal year has brought an increase in the base funding from the previous year to money now available for states through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). This change empowers communities to apply for low-interest loans to address vital water and wastewater infrastructure needs.
State Revolving Funds (SRFs), managed by the Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with states, support various projects. These include addressing emerging contaminants like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and replacing lead service lines. As federally funded programs, SRF loans might come with requirements such as on material sourcing, wage rates or other considerations.
Under the SRFs, state agencies are required to publish an Intended Use Plan (IUP) each year that provides detailed information about their funding plans for that year. These IUPs discuss the states’ priorities for funding, funding allocations for each program and whether further subsidy or loan forgiveness is available. IUPs also include the Project Priority List, which lists projects that could possibly be funded from the SRFs. Projects must be on the Project Priority List before they can be funded through the SRFs.
State Funding Resources
Arkansas
Colorado
- Colorado SRF Programs at the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority
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Colorado SRF Programs at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Florida
Georgia
- Georgia CWSRF Georgia Environmental Finance Authority
- Georgia DWSRF Georgia Environmental Finance Authority
Kansas
Louisiana
- New Mexico CWSRF at the New Mexico Environmental Department
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New Mexico DWSRF Program at the New Mexico Finance Authority
North Carolina
- North Carolina CWSRF Program at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
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North Carolina DWSRF Program at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
South Carolina
Oklahoma
- Oklahoma CWSRF Program at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board
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Oklahoma DWSRF Program at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
Texas
- Texas CWSRF Program at the Texas Water Development Board
- Texas DWSRF Program at the Texas Water Development Board
Virginia
QUESTIONS?
- Contact Kate Burum, kate.burum@freese.com
About our Funding Team: With more than three decades of experience working with clients to navigate a myriad of infrastructure financial choices, Freese and Nichols’ Funding Team helps communities apply for and access loan and grant funding. We provide technical assistance to clients on multiple funding alternatives, including water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation and hazard mitigation-type funding programs. The team has extensive experience mapping out funding strategies that involve both grants (including principal forgiveness) and low-to-zero-interest loans, assisting clients in building needed infrastructure projects as quickly as possible. These strategies are customized for each client based on their long-term development goals and constraints. In the last six years alone, Freese and Nichols has supported more than 75 projects funded by agency programs and has assisted clients in accessing more than $2 billion in funding.
Kate Burum is a Client Funding Specialist based in Oklahoma City.