12.03.21

Senators Cantwell and Murray Secure over $152 Million in Water Infrastructure Funding for Washington State Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) hailed more than $152 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will be going to Washington state to improve water infrastructure across the state, leading to cleaner drinking water, more ecological water use, and more. This funding, provided through EPA’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs, will create jobs while upgrading America’s aging water infrastructure and addressing key challenges like lead in drinking water and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. Senators Cantwell and Murray helped to craft the Bipartisan Infrastructure law and are pushing to secure as much funding from the bill for Washington state as possible.  

“Everyone deserves access to clean drinking water. This unprecedented investment in our water infrastructure will ensure clean drinking water is available to Washingtonians and families throughout our country. It will also help address the health hazards associated with PFAS contamination,” said Senator Cantwell.

“Every family in Washington state deserves clean drinking water, and an upgrade to our water and wastewater infrastructure across Washington state—especially in historically disadvantaged communities—is long overdue,” Senator Murray said. “That’s why I fought to include critical funding for water infrastructure upgrades in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and why I’m glad to see a significant portion of this funding already headed to our state. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going to mean cleaner drinking water, greener, more modern water infrastructure, and easier access to water for communities across our state. As a voice for Washington state in the Senate, I’m going to keep pushing to get as much federal support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as possible for Washington state’s water and general infrastructure needs.”

The EPA allocates grant funding through two SRFs. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) provides below-market rate loans to fund infrastructure improvements to water systems to protect public health and ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. These projects may include the installation, upgrade, and replacement of treatment facilities, finished water storage facilities, and transmission and distribution systems. Projects to consolidate water supplies may also be eligible. Dams and reservoirs are generally ineligible. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) provides below-market rate loans for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects, including publicly owned wastewater collection and treatment systems, stormwater management, nonpoint source pollution control, decentralized wastewater treatment, water reuse, and estuary management projects. Through the Green Project Reserve, the CWSRFs target critical green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements, and other environmentally innovative activities.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will help communities keep water rates more affordable while addressing local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure challenges, and fund large water quality projects. Nearly half of the total funding is available as grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers. This allocation is the first of five years of nearly $44 billion in dedicated EPA SRF funding that states, including Washington, will receive through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. For more than 30 years, the SRFs have been the foundation of water infrastructure investments, providing low-cost financing for local projects across America.

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