Delaware to Receive $19M of Recovery Act Money for Waterwaste Infrastructure Projects
When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he allotted 20% of the funds to be used for developing a green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative projects. And Delaware’s aging water infrastructure is smiling because of it.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that $19,239,100 will be awarded to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in order to upgrade its out-of-date water infrastructure.
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The new infusion of money into Delaware’s system will be used to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water infrastructure and protect human health and the environment. The funding will be distributed to local and state authorities in order to help cover the costs of wastewater projects that stand in need of improvement.
“Delaware now has unprecedented resources to fund more projects that will protect public health, upgrade infrastructure, and invigorate local economies,” said William C. Early, acting administrator of EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.
The EPA-granted funding will enter into the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund was created under an amendment to the Clean Water Act in 1987 and provides low interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management.
Since the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program began in 1987, the EPA has awarded more than $26 billion in grants, which states have turned into $69 billion of financial assistance for water quality projects. The revolving nature of the program ensures water quality projects will be funded for generations to come.
Today for Delaware, Federal money means cleaner water. Cleaner water means healthier people and a healthier environment. That’s something we can all smile about.
Photo Credit: GayleLeonard via flickr under Creative Commons License
