Ohio EPA Offers Millions for Water Pollution Control Projects
8/14/15
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Ohio EPA Offers Millions for Water Pollution Control Projects
Ohio EPA is accepting nominations from communities for water quality improvement projects seeking financial assistance from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) for 2016.
In order to be considered for funding, a new project must be nominated for consideration by the August 31, 2015 deadline and be added to the state’s WPCLF priority list during December 2015. Carry-over projects from Program Year 2015 (those already listed but not expected to be awarded by December 31, 2015) need only submit a revised schedule (in lieu of a complete nomination form) by August 31, 2015 to be considered for the 2016 list.
Updates to the program being considered for 2016 include:
- As a part of Governor Kasich’s Ohio Clean Lakes Initiative (started in 2015), Ohio EPA is offering a nutrient reduction discount interest free, started in 2015, making an additional $100 million available at zero interest for qualifying projects.
- Providing up to $23.5 million as principal forgiveness, a reduction in the amount of principal a borrower would repay. The $23.5 million will be allocated as follows: $5 million for failing home sewage treatment systems (HSTS) and $18.5 million for other projects, such as those addressing combined sewer overflows or unsewered areas, with a specific emphasis on the Western Basin of Lake Erie
- Establishing new affordability criteria, (used to determine which community has the greatest need for funding, required under the Clean Water Act for the distribution of principal forgiveness).
The WPCLF program is administered by Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance, with assistance from the Ohio Water Development Authority. Since 1989, the WPCLF has provided over $6.2 billion in community loan assistance, and saved its customers more than $1 billion in interest expense.
Projects may be nominated by following the instructions and forms available at http://epa.ohio.gov/defa/EnvironmentalandFinancialAssistance.aspx. Questions can be addressed by calling Kevin Spurbeck at 614-644-3645 or emailing kevin.spurbeck@epa.ohio.gov.
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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.
Ohio EPA Offers Millions for Water Pollution Control Projects
Source: Ohio Environmental News