Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that funding from the federal government for water infrastructure improvements has been awarded to states across the country.
More than $31 million in capitalization grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) have been awarded to Hawai‘i through the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) program, and additional grants are forthcoming. The grants mark the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funds thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates more than $50 billion to EPA toward repairing the nation’s essential water infrastructure, which helps communities access clean, safe and reliable drinking water, increase resilience, collect and treat wastewater to protect public health, clean up pollution, and safeguard vital waterways.
“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.”
“We are pleased Hawai‘i will receive over $31 million funding to support water and wastewater infrastructure projects. This historic level of investment from the federal government will be used to provide safe drinking water to residents of Hawai‘i and ensure aging wastewater infrastructure, including cesspools, is replaced to protect public health and the environment,” said Gov. David Y. Ige.
“Ensuring that people have access to clean, safe drinking water while also protecting our environment from wastewater contamination is critical to healthy, thriving communities,” said Senator Mazie K. Hirono. “That’s why I’ve fought to protect Hawai’i’s water sources and secure the funding necessary to protect and strengthen our state’s water infrastructure. Thanks to additional federal funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Hawai’i is receiving more than $31 million to help prevent flooding, protect our waterways, and ensure the health and wellbeing of communities across our state.”
Hawai‘i Department of Health, Environmental Health Administration, administers Hawai‘i’s Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF programs. These programs will provide a permanent and independent source of low-cost financing for a wide range of projects across the state.
This includes funding water pollution control projects to protect our groundwater and coastal water resources and drinking water infrastructure projects to help achieve or maintain compliance with drinking water standards to protect public health and the environment. For more information about projects, see Hawai’i’s Clean Water and the Drinking Water Intended Use Plans.
EPA’s SRFs are part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits from certain federal programs to underserved communities. Furthermore, nearly half the funding available through the SRFs thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law must be grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers.
Funding announced today represents FY22 awards for states that have submitted and obtained EPA’s approval of their plans for use of the funding. Capitalization grants will continue to be awarded, on a state-by-state basis, 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.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents the largest-ever funding opportunity for investing in water infrastructure. Find out more about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and other programs that help communities manage their water resources on EPA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law page.