Nevada awarded $15M by EPA to improve water quality, public health

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Nov. 12, 2013 -- To improve water pollution control and drinking water infrastructure projects in the state of Nevada, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) a $6.5 million grant for its Clean Water State Revolving Fund and an $8.5 million grant for its Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

NDEP will use the funds to provide low-cost loans for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades. NDEP's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) provides financing for municipal wastewater treatment projects, while its Drinking Water SRF provides financial assistance for supporting drinking water infrastructure systems.

"In the last 24 years, EPA has provided over $320 million in funding for Nevada water projects alone," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "Without this investment and creative financing at the federal level, many communities would not be able to provide for Nevadans' basic needs for clean, safe drinking water and proper wastewater treatment."

Projects previously funded using SRF loans include new well construction to decrease arsenic levels in drinking water supplied to the town of Tonopah, as well as the construction of an advanced wastewater treatment facility in Clark County to reduce the amount of bacteria and chemicals entering Lake Meade.

The EPA has awarded over $170 million in federal funding for Nevada's Clean Water State SRF since the inception of the program in 1989. NDEP increases the investment in Nevada by leveraging the federal dollars on the bond market. The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects, including nonpoint source pollution control, watershed protection or restoration, water and energy efficiency projects, wastewater reclamation, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment projects. Since 1997, Nevada's Drinking Water SRF has received almost $150 million in federal funding. Funds to the program support drinking water infrastructure, programs such as drinking water plant operator training and technical assistance.

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