EPA grants $20 million to Alaska for drinking water, wastewater infrastructure improvements

State estimates $94 million for wastewater, $57 million for drinking water projects

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will help fund Alaska’s $57.1 million plan for key drinking water projects and $93.7 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 $65 million into Alaska’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 Alaska’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:

$509,167 to the city of Homer to extend the water distribution system to provide piped public water to 27 central business district zoned properties, all of which currently are served by hauled water from city watering points.
$1,600,00 to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough to design and construct a 100,000-gallon storage tank and booster pump station.
$5,000,000 to the city of Nome to construct a building to support both the drinking water and sewer utilities.

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

$1,450,000 to the city of Fairbanks to construct a new 10-inch water main to the Wastewater Treatment Facility and replace the failing process water system within the facility.
$2,000,000 to the city of Cordova to remove 135 creosote pilings in the South Harbor and install a marine sewage pump station.
$3,900,000 to the Skagway Borough to extend sanitary sewer to an unserved area.
$5,600,00 to the city of Homer to extend piped wastewater service to unserved properties in five separate project areas.
$44,125 to the city of Dillingham to design utility upgrades to the waterfront area.

The sources of funding for Alaska’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $9.5 million grant from EPA, $1.9 million in state matching funds, along with $114.6 million in interest earnings and repayments from previous CWSRF loans.

Similarly, the sources of funding for projects on Alaska’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan include a $11 million grant from EPA (of which $7.3 million will be used directly for project-related loans), and $2.2 million in state matching funds. An additional $87 million in interest earnings and repayments from previous DWSRF loans will also be available to fund project loans.

A full list of Alaska’s CWSRF and DWSRF projects to be funded can be found at:

https://dec.alaska.gov/water/technical-assistance-and-financing/state-revolving-fund/intended-use-plans/

For more information about EPA’s State Revolving Fund Programs go to:

https://www.epa.gov/dwsrf

https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf