The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $36.3 million to Virginia for water infrastructure improvements. The agency says that an additional $80 million will be awarded to the state in the coming weeks.
The funds are allocated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which allocates more than $50 billion to the nation’s water infrastructure through EPA. The grants will supplement the $35 million in fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding that will be distributed through Virginia’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.
The allocations come as part of the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funding through the BIL across 18 states.
“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.”
The funding represents the BIL awards for states that have submitted and obtained EPA’s approval of their plans for use of the funding. EPA says that SRF capitalization grants will continue to be awarded, on a rolling state-by-state basis, as more states receive approval throughout FY22; states will also receive awards over the course of the next four years. As grants are awarded, the state SRF programs can begin to distribute the funds as grants and loans to communities across their state.
More information about the funding and its planned projects are available at Virginia’s following Clean Water SRF and Drinking Water SRF documents.
