Page Content On this page:
|
|
Funding Letter of Interest (LOI) Application Forms:
Project Priority List (PPL):
Intended Use Plan (IUP):
|
News!
- The 2013 Funding Letter of Interest (LOI) will be open from July 16, 2012 to September 17, 2012, to eligible water systems who are interested in infrastructure and/or source water protection improvements. This year, for the first time, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Business Oregon's Infrastructure Finance Authority (IFA) will be offering a web based LOI for infrastructure improvements only. The Drinking Water Protection Fund (DWPF) LOI will remain as a paper version (i.e., MS Word) but in a fillable formatted document and entirely separate from the infrastructure LOI. If interested in applying for the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund (SDWRLF) assistance for an infrastructure related project, please click www.orinfrastructure.org/LOI-Form/. See below for the DWPF LOI. For more information regarding drinking water system eligibility and to view frequently asked questions, click here.
- For water systems that are interested in financing to assist with implementing source water protection strategies, click here to learn more about source water protection and to get general information about funding and project rating criteria. If this is an urgent matter related to source water protection and needs immediate assistance, please contact Tom Pattee at 541-726-2587 ext. 24 or email him at tom.pattee@state.or.us.
- Also available is source water protection funding through loans and grants that implement projects to protect existing sources of public drinking water. Only projects identified by a Drinking Water Protection Fund (DWPF) LOI application (fillable MS Word) are considered for financing by the SDWRLF.
- Other funding options for water and wastewater projects, click here.
- Fall Finance Workshop: Oregon Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Finance Workshop to be held at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, Oregon, on Monday, September 10th. Visit the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) website for more information or please click www.rcac.org/doc.aspx?809 for presentations.
- 2012 Rated & Ranked Project Priority List is available: The list includes forty projects that are prioritized in rank order. To view this list, click here (PDF). The list provides an indication of which projects will be invited (anticipated in spring or summer 2012) for funding first, but not an indication of how much and if any subsidies will be allocated. This list is only for informational purposes.
- Attention: For public review and comments. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) seeks comments on its Intended Use Plan (IUP) for the 2012 Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund grant application to the US-EPA. This IUP explains how OHA prioritizes low-interest loan assistance to eligible public water systems. To view the IUP Executive Summary, click here (PDF). Deadline to submit comments needs to be received on or before Monday, July 9, 2012.
Information and Background
- Each federal fiscal year, EPA makes funds (as grants) available to states for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), a low interest loan program designed to finance drinking water system improvements needed to reduce health risks and maintain compliance with the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act.
- Oregon's grant request process begins by identifying and collecting information about current Oregon drinking water system project improvement needs. All projects identified with an LOI application will be used to create a list of drinking water system needs. That list of projects and estimated project financing is submitted to EPA in Oregon's grant request to show how Oregon intends to use its grant allotment for that year.
Eligibility and Kind of Projects Funded
For both Infrastructure and Drinking Water Source Protection Letters of Interest submitted
- Who is Eligible to Receive Funding: Privately- and publicly-owned community water systems and non-profit transient and non-transient non-community water systems are eligible. For the Drinking Water Source Protection LOI, the water system must also have a completed Source Water Assessment (SWA). For more info about SWAs click here.
- What Kind of Projects are Eligible?: Projects include planning, designing, constructing, and/or upgrading drinking water facilities. Projects can also include those needed to maintain compliance with current and future standards, and those that further public health protection goals of the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act and Oregon's Drinking Water Quality Act. Example projects include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Anti-Terrorism: Projects can include the cost to add or improve security measures to protect drinking water facilities. For more about water system security, click here.
- Infrastructure Construction, Reconstruction, or Modification: To optimize facilities necessary for source supply, filtration, treatment, storage, transmission, or metering. NOTE: All fund approved projects and activities must complete our plan review process. Learn more about plan review here.
- Source Water Protection: Grants up to $30,000 per water system and loans up to $100,000 per water system are available to promote implementation of source water protection strategies. Click here to learn more about source water protection.
- SDWRLF Success Stories: To view a map of some of the successful Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund projects in Oregon, click here. This will direct you to the Helping Communities in Oregon Thrive web page. In the "Industry" section, select only the "Water/Wastewater (IFA)" check box. Once selected, click the "Search" button. You will notice several little balloons throughout the State of Oregon where some of our most successful water/wastewater projects have been completed. Clicking on a balloon will provide you with some information about the project and the option to read more if interested.
How to Apply and Technical Assistance
If you have a drinking water project that you think might be eligible for financing, please download the Program Guidelines and Applicant's Handbook (PDF). The handbook includes the "Project Rating Criteria" and instructions for completing the LOI application. For more information, these resources are available below:
- Drinking Water Services (DWS): For application periods, deadlines, and technical assistance, please contact the SDWRLF program coordinator at 971-673-0422.
- Business Oregon: Business Oregon, Infrastructure Finance Authority (IFA) can be reached by phone at 503-986-0123 or by email.
- Drinking Water Circuit Riders: Through the SDWRLF, contracts have been established with circuit riders to provide on-site technical services free to community water systems serving populations under 10,000. Visit the Circuit Rider Program page for information about the types of service and assistance available, as well as contact information for the circuit rider.
- Drinking Water Source Protection LOI: For groundwater systems please call Tom Pattee, DWS, at 541-726-2587 ext. 24. For surface water systems please call Sheree Stewart, DEQ, at 503-229-5413.
Project Review and Developing the Final Project Priority List
Note: The explanations below are specific to the processes for infrastructure related projects only. The Drinking Water Source Protection projects follow a similar process, but with minor differences.
- Project Review Process: DWS follows the policies and procedures outlined in the reference manual Program Guidelines and Applicant's Handbook (PDF) for project review and prioritization.
- Following the Project Review Process: The final Project Priority List is produced to reflect projects and activities that may be funded depending upon readiness to proceed and several other important criteria. Click here to download the 2011 Priority List (PDF). Please note the 2011 project list is comprised of LOIs received during 2010. Each project on the list is shown in rank order for funding purposes. A line is drawn at that point on each list where available loan dollars coincides with the cumulative loan amount requested by water systems. New projects are added annually to the List based upon points. Again, to get on the Project Priority List, a water system must submit a LOI.
- About the Project Priority List:
- A project submitted on an LOI application is put on the Project Priority List for two years. After two years, a project is removed from the list unless the water system resubmits an updated LOI.
- Each water system above the line, "------------", was advised by Business Oregon, Infrastructure Finance Authority (IFA) that it has one year to submit a complete loan application to get its loan. Each water system below the line must wait until the line drops to include its project. The line will only move through the list of projects when a water system above the line advises Business Oregon, Infrastructure Finance Authority (IFA) it either no longer needs the SDWRLF loan, or a full year passes without submitting a loan application, or they are not ready to proceed. The funding line will move through a list from time to time, making more water systems on each list eligible to submit a loan application.
- Environmental Review Process: All recipients of SDWRLF awards need to complete an environmental review on every project in accordance with the State Environmental Review Process (SERP). DWS follows the policies and procedures outlined in the reference manual Environmental Review Process Handbook (PDF).
Contact Information
- If you have questions about any Project Priority List or how to get an Infrastructure Loan or Drinking Water Source Protection Loan/Grant please call Drinking Water Services at 971-673-0405 (8am-5pm PT, Mon-Fri).
- You can also contact Business Oregon, Infrastructure Finance Authority (IFA) by phone at 503-986-0123 or by email.
|