 Washington State Department of Health Office of Drinking Water |
| Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Updates September 2020 |
We will accept Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Construction Loan applications October 1 to November 30. We have about $45 million to award, with maximum award per jurisdiction of $5 million. Information on this funding opportunity is posted to our webpage along with the link to a September 22 webinar: Doh.wa.gov/DWSRF Based on recent survey responses, we know you need to complete projects and we encourage you to apply this year for DWSRF Construction Loan funding since we don’t know if or when infrastructure stimulus dollars will be available. In the event you receive a DWSRF Construction Loan and stimulus funding becomes available later, we will work with you in revising your DWSRF Construction Loan to stimulus funding terms if you qualify. We are doing an emergency rule change for the upcoming DWSRF Construction Loan funding cycle to address concerns regarding the eligibility criteria in WAC 246-296-100. The current rule requires applicants to have a current approved planning document to be eligible to apply for DWSRF funding. We are modifying the DWSRF eligibility planning document requirement to read: Have a water system plan or small water system management program that: (a) Is department-approved and current through the close of the application cycle; or (b) Is submitted to the department for review prior to the close of the application cycle and receives department approval within one hundred twenty days after the close of the application cycle. For the 2020 Construction Loan cycle, the date to have an approved planning document is extended to March 30, 2021, provided the planning document has been submitted to the regional office for review on or before November 30, 2020. This change will be effective by October 1 and will only apply to the 2020 Construction Loan funding cycle; this rule change will not become permanent. This rule change is being implemented to address difficulties being experienced by our water systems to update planning documents in a timely manner. As a reminder, DWSRF has Emergency Loan funding available. You can use this funding to rent generators, rent temporary treatment equipment, temporary repairs, or permanent repairs. This funding opportunity is limited to not-for-profit Group A community water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people. Visit the DWSRF webpage for more information on this funding program. NEW: Preconstruction loans will be available starting in January. We will accept applications year-round until funding is exhausted. We have about $3 million available to award through June 30, 2021. Maximum award per jurisdiction is $500,000, with loan terms of 0% interest rate, two-year time of performance, and ten-year repayment period. This funding can be used for planning documents, engineering reports, designing improvements, permitting, environmental reviews, and cultural reviews in preparation for a future DWSRF Construction Loan or potential stimulus funding. We will post more information to the DWSRF webpage in December. Please check the DWSRF webpage for updates or email us at dwsrf@doh.wa.gov if you have questions. |