FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30, 2009
Contact: Robbie Wilbur 601/961-5277MDEQ ANNOUNCES $10 MILLION IN WASTEWATER FUNDING FOR DESOTOT COUNTY REGIONAL UTILITY AUTHORITY
(Jackson, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) announced today that the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority has been approved for a subsidized low-interest loan of $10,079,972 for wastewater infrastructure improvements. The funding is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund Program (WPCRLF) administered by MDEQ. The ARRA portion of the funding is a loan subsidy which will not have to be repaid. The WPCRLF portion will be repaid at a 1.75 percent interest rate over 20 years.
“We are pleased to award these funds to DeSoto County. The Utility Authority and other local leaders worked diligently to produce an outstanding application. Properly constructed and maintained wastewater facilities are integral to protecting our environment and the public’s health, and we know this infrastructure will be of great benefit to DeSoto County,” said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director.
“These Recovery Act-funded projects will improve critical infrastructure, promote public health and safety, and help to create and save jobs," said Congressman Travis Childers (D-MS). "This funding is further proof that Recovery Act is at work in the First Congressional District and throughout Mississippi."
“The DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority (DCRUA) is extremely pleased to be the recipient of this funding. These funds allow DCRUA to continue, in a timely manner, our goal of a countywide wastewater system. I appreciate the efforts made by the staff at MDEQ and Ms. Fisher to make this happen,” said Bill Austin, Executive Director of the DCRUA.
The DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority will receive $10,079,972 for the Johnson Creek Interceptor which includes 12,000 linear feet of 21 through 54 inch sanitary sewer lines and other related equipment. The WPCRLF amount is $5,079,972 and the ARRA amount totals $5,000,000.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriated $4.0 billion for Title VI EPA Capitalization Grants to the states’ Clean Water State Revolving Funds. Mississippi’s Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund (WPCRLF), administered by MDEQ, received $35,308,350. ARRA funds will be used, along with base WPCRLF Program loan funds, to jointly fund projects with the ARRA portion of each award in the form of a loan subsidy
Prior to final passage and enactment of ARRA, MDEQ conducted a comprehensive outreach campaign to alert potential borrowers of the possible availability of federal economic recovery stimulus funding. MDEQ then amended the FY-2009 WPCRLF Intended Use Plan to implement the funding in the most efficient manner, while providing the most benefit to the state. Details on the application and award process are in the amended Intended Use Plan which is available at:
http://www.deq.state.ms.us/MDEQ.nsf/pdf/SRF_FY-09IUPAmendment1/$File/IUPFY-09AmendmentNo1FINAL.pdf?OpenElement. |