June 2019, Vol. 246, No. 6
Government
EPA Develops Water Reuse Action Plan
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun an effort to develop a new program to support water reuse. The agency will be putting together an action plan based on input from industry groups and local governments with the intention of using funding provided by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) for whatever types of projects are eventually deemed eligible. Congress provided the EPA with $68 million in funding for WIFIA loans in fiscal 2019, which ends Sept. 30.
“One of the four priority areas targeted by EPA in this round covers projects that bring ‘new or innovative approaches including water reuse and recycling,’” explained Dan Hartnett, chief advocacy officer for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA). “This does not mean that any particular number of reuse projects will be offered a WIFIA loan, but it does indicate that EPA plans to seek out these types of projects.”
The action plan would presumably provide some guidelines on the types of projects the EPA is considering, and local governments are eager to proceed. P&GJ
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