NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 10, 2014
CONTACT:
Hannah Mellman
202.833.4655
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NACWA Commends President for Signing Water Resources Bill,
Includes Important Overhaul of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program
NACWA commends President Obama for signing into law the bipartisan Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) today. The $12.3 billion package reauthorizes flood control projects around the country and includes a major overhaul to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program.
NACWA has been urging Congress and the Administration to demonstrate their commitment to the CWSRF as a core investment tool for municipal wastewater agencies, and the changes in the WRRDA bill reflect this work.
Communities nationwide face upwards of a $500 billion investment shortfall between what is needed to ensure communities have access to clean water versus what is currently available. The
WRRDA package codifies several policies within the CWSRF that will help communities meet their clean water investment goals more affordably while incentivizing important investments in innovative technology and sustainable water resources management.
Several provisions in the CWSRF portion of the package are particularly important to municipal clean water agencies: 1) extending the SRF loan repayment periods to up to 30 years; 2) codifying additional subsidization provisions enabling economically distressed communities to receive more affordable financing; 3) incentivizing investments in energy efficiency, water efficiency and reuse, and sustainable infrastructure practices; 4) incentivizing partnerships between municipal wastewater utilities and upstream property owners to collaboratively tackle non-point source pollution and improve water quality, and 5) incentivizing wastewater utilities to undertake practices to ensure increased resiliency against man-made and/or natural disasters.
“Over forty years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, clean water agencies across the country are undergoing a remarkable transformation from wastewater treatment plants to full-blown resource recovery agencies,” said Ken Kirk, NACWA Executive Director. “These Utilities of the Future are pioneering new technologies and cutting-edge practices to manage valuable resources, spur economic development, create jobs, and improve the environment and public health. WRRDA recognizes this changing landscape by encouraging greater investment in more sustainable infrastructure to help communities better manage their clean water needs, and we are so pleased that the President signed this landmark legislation.”
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NACWA represents the interests of more than 300 public agencies and organizations that have made the pursuit of scientifically based, technically sound and cost effective laws and regulations their objective. NACWA members serve the majority of the sewered population in the United States and collectively treat and reclaim more than 18 billion gallons of wastewater daily.
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