Brady PieperThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a $42 million loan to Ogden City, Utah, to replace water pipes and other water infrastructure improvements that officials say will save the city millions of gallons of lost or leaking water every day.
Ogden will use the funds to replace two aging, leaking water lines and to rebuild drinking water systems. The loan is part of the EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program.
“WIFIA loans are helping communities make infrastructure investments that will protect critical water resources in the face of increasing demands and climate challenges,” EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker said in a press release. “By taking advantage of EPA’s WIFIA program, Ogden City is prioritizing a safe and sustainable drinking water supply for its residents.”
The Wellfield and Ogden County water lines deliver water to the Ogden City Treatment Plant and distribute treated drinking water to Ogden City communities. Both have leaks that cost the city almost 2 million gallons of water a day. In addition to the repairs, the project will also release more water to the Ogden River, which feeds the Great Salt Lake.
Thanks to the loans, the EPA anticipates Ogden City will save nearly $5 million on this critical water infrastructure project. In addition, the Utah Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is allotting $34 million in federal funds to the projects.
“Keeping our water infrastructure sound as well as financially feasible is imperative to the sustainability of Ogden City and the surrounding communities,” Ogden City Mayor Ben Nadolski said in a press release.
The WIFIA loan program, established under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, is a federal loan initiative managed by the EPA. The program is set to boost investment in national water infrastructure by providing local and national communities with long-term, low-interest supplemental credit assistance. Since WIFIA’s inception, the program has created approximately 150,000 jobs, delivering more than $20 billion to projects protecting and strengthening water infrastructure around the country.
In August, two previous loans delivered through the WIFIA program saw almost $360 million in investments from the EPA. Central Florida’s Tahoe Water Authority received a $188 million loan from the EPA to water supply resilience initiative, supporting the near half a million residents of Polk and Osceola counties. In Birmingham, Alabama, the Birmingham Water Works Board is set to receive $171 million in EPA loans for drinking water infrastructure improvements and upgrading the Lake Purdy Dam.
The WIFIA financing program is currently in its seventh stage of selecting projects for EPA funding. The agency is offering $6.5 billion through WIFIA and an additional $1 billion through the state-oriented sister program SWIFIA. The EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and SWIFIA loan-funded initiatives.
Photo by Swanky Fella on Unsplash
