FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 25, 2009
Contact: Robbie Wilbur
601/961-5277MDEQ ANNOUNCES WASTEWATER FUNDING FOR WINONA
(Jackson, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) announced today that the City of Winona has been approved for a subsidized low-interest loan of $346,890 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 Winona. Mayor Flowers 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 Winona,” said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director.
“I would like to thank MDEQ for all their hard work in helping the City of Winona to obtain the $346,890 in AARA and WPCRLF monies. This will greatly enhance our ability to continue to provide to our taxpayers a quality wastewater facility,” said Winona Mayor Jerry Flowers.
The City of Winona will receive $346,890 for replacement and rehabilitation of equipment at its wastewater treatment facility. The WPCRLF amount is $52,034 and the ARRA amount totals $294,856.
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.
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