Late last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that $1.1 billion in funding has been awarded to 18 states through the State Revolving Fund which will be used by recipients to finance water infrastructure projects.

The 18 states are just the first batch of recipients as the capitalization funds will be awarded continuously throughout FY22 once the states’ initiatives are approved by EPA. Included in the first roll of funds are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Water & Wastes Digest further reported:

“All communities need access to clean, reliable, safe water,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership and the resources from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are repairing aging water infrastructure, replacing lead service lines, cleaning up contaminants, and making our communities more resilient in the face of floods and climate impacts.”

EPA’s SRFs are part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits from certain federal programs to underserved communities. Furthermore, nearly half the funding available through the SRFs must be grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers.