EPA announces $74M for Oregon drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure upgrades

SEATTLE (Feb. 21, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced over $74,444,000 from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for Oregon drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. The funding is part of the over $50 billion investment in water infrastructure upgrades from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – the largest such investment in American history. Today’s announcement will support essential water infrastructure that protects public health and treasured water bodies across the state. Almost half of this funding will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans, ensuring funds reach underserved communities most in need of investments in water infrastructure.  

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda continues to transform communities for the better with this latest infusion of funds for critical water infrastructure projects,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With $50 billion in total, the largest investment in water infrastructure in our nation’s history, EPA will enable communities across the nation to ensure safer drinking water for their residents and rebuild vital clean water infrastructure to protect public health for decades to come.” 

“All Americans, no matter your zip code, deserve safe and clean water,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “These historic investments give our local communities and tribal governments the crucial dollars needed to help replace aging water infrastructure such as lead pipes, improve wastewater and sanitation, and clean up dangerous toxins like PFAS in our water.” 

“Aging water infrastructure continues to seriously undermine water quality in rural and small towns across Oregon,” said Governor Tina Kotek. “This is a critical investment from the Biden Administration in drinking water quality and needed infrastructure upgrades to ensure that all Oregonians have access to safe, clean drinking water.”  

“Clean and accessible drinking water is essential for communities, especially in rural areas, to thrive,” said Senator Ron Wyden. “Not only does this historic investment open more avenues of funding for much needed drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Oregon and across the nation, but also helps to increase resilience for communities struggling to recover from natural disasters by investing in stormwater infrastructure upgrades.” 

“Clean drinking water is vital to the health and safety of any community, and modernizing outdated water infrastructure ensures Americans have reliable access to safe drinking water and sanitation,” said Senator Jeff Merkley, Chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee which funds the program. “I’ll continue to do all I can to secure federal investments that support clean and reliable drinking water and safe sanitation for all communities.” 

Communities across the country are facing water infrastructure challenges. Many cities and towns have aging water infrastructure – old, broken or lead pipes carrying drinking water and wastewater treatment plants in need of major upgrades.  Some communities struggle to maintain adequate stormwater infrastructure to effectively manage flood impacts from climate change and others need to upgrade their water treatment to address emerging contaminants like PFAS.  

The funding EPA announced for Oregon is part of a $5.8 billion investment through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, one of EPA’s signature water investment programs. This multi-billion-dollar investment will fund state-run, low-interest loan programs to address key challenges, with $2.6 billion going to the Clean Water SRF for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and $3.2 billion going to the Drinking Water SRF for drinking water infrastructure nationwide. Today’s announcement includes allotments for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law General Supplemental funds and Emerging Contaminant funds for SRF programs for fiscal year 2024. EPA anticipates announcing allocations for billions of dollars in additional resources for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Lead Service Line Replacement fund later this spring.  

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Action in Oregon  

Since 2022, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has injected $264,758,000 into water infrastructure projects across the state protecting public health, preserving water resources, and creating jobs.  

To learn about the intended uses of the SRFs in Oregon — and to see how prior years’ funding has been used — go to: 

• https://www.oregon.gov/deq/wq/cwsrf/Pages/default.aspx 
• https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/DRINKINGWATER/SRF/Pages/index.aspx

To view stories about how the unpreceded investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit EPA’s new Investing in America’s Water Infrastructure Storymap. To read more about some additional projects that are underway, see EPA’s recently released Quarterly Report on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF projects 

Background  

The Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and the Clean Water State Revolving Funds have been the foundation of water infrastructure investments for more than 30 years, providing low-cost financing for local projects across America. SRF programs are critically important programs for investing in the nation’s water infrastructure. They are designed to generate significant and sustainable water quality and public health benefits across the country. Their impact is amplified by the growth inherent in a revolving loan structure – payment of principal and interest on loans made are available to address future needs. 

For more information, including state-by-state allocation of 2024 funding, and a breakdown of EPA State Revolving Fund funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, please visit the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund website and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund website.