PHILADELPHIA, PA, April 4, 2007 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined environmental leaders from West Virginia today to recognize the Eastern Wyoming Public Service District for efficiently using federal funding to help establish a regional drinking water system for an area that was ravished by failing, flooded and abandoned water systems.
"The Eastern Wyoming Public Service District has set an excellent example of regional cooperation in meeting the challenges of providing high quality drinking water by effectively using various sources of federal and state funding," said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA's mid-Atlantic region.
The district used grants and loans to consolidate 11 failing, flooded, and abandoned water systems in Logan and Wyoming counties into the Eastern Wyoming Public Service District. The project included constructing a regional water plant and three storage tanks, and installing more than 100,000-feet of water lines. Most of the district now operates under a "boil water order." When the new project is completed, it will provide a safe and dependable potable water supply for all the communities.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources selected the Eastern Wyoming Public Service District to receive EPA's 2006 Award for Sustainable Public Health Protection. The award is presented to water systems that most effectively and efficiently use funding from the EPA's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program. The revolving fund program was one of several sources used for the project.
The revolving fund program is an innovative method of financing environmental projects. EPA provides a grant to each state, and states use the funds to provide low-interest loans for water quality improvement projects. These projects support the Clean Water Act by protecting environmental health and water quality.
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Also see:
-- EPA's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
-- DWSRF Awards For Sustainable Public Health Protection
-- "Engineers, contractors urge Congress to approve water funding measures"
--"NACWA applauds House vote to provide $1.7 billion for clean water infrastructure"
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