EPA provides $182 million in funding for California water projects

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will help California invest in improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and water pollution prevention projects with over $182 million in funding.

The money will go toward the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which funds municipal wastewater treatment projects with low-interest loans, and toward the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which applies to drinking water projects.

EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld announced the $182 million in funding at a recent ceremony in Carlsbad, California, at the Carlsbad Water Recycling Facility, which has received funding to nearly double its capacity. With a $30 million State Revolving Fund loan, with an interest rate of 1 percent, and $7 million in additional funding, the facility plans to construct 18 miles of pipe and a new storage tank, as well as install 156 recycled water meters, allowing it to process 7,235 acre-feet per year.

“This substantial investment at the federal level helps communities like Carlsbad provide sustainable sources of water in the face of California’s historic drought,” Blumenfeld said. “EPA is committed to protecting the state’s water resources so critical to our environment, public health and economy.”