Wastewater Infrastructure Fund

Purpose
This program provides supplemental grants and loans to assist municipalities with high-cost, high-priority needs to build cost-effective wastewater projects that address existing environmental or public health problems.

Customers and Services
Any city, county, township, sanitary district, or other governmental subdivision having primary responsibility for wastewater treatment is eligible. Eligible project costs are those necessary to meet a municipality's existing wastewater treatment needs; costs related to future residential/commercial/industrial growth are not eligible.

Municipalities that receive wastewater financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program may receive a Wastewater Infrastructure Fund (WIF) matching grant up to 50 percent of the total eligible grant amount determined by Rural Development. Municipalities that do not receive financing from USDA Rural Development may apply to the Public Facilities Authority (PFA) for a WIF loan to supplement a loan from the Clean Water Revolving Fund.

Measures - Reporting period is state fiscal year (SFY), July 1 - June 30

Funding Source and Allocation
Funding of $23M was appropriated in the 2006 bonding bill, which included $7M for corrective action projects, $4.5M for designated projects, and an undesignated $11.5M to be awarded based on program criteria and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Project Priority List. An additional $15M was appropriated in the 2008 bonding bill, including $13M for designated projects and $2M for corrective action projects.

Statutory Authority
-- Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 446A.072

Contact Information
Jeff Freeman, Deputy Director, Public Facilities Authority
Phone: 651.259.7465 or toll-free: 800.657.3858; TTY: 651.296.3900

This information current as of January 2009. For more information on DEED programs, see the State of Minnesota budget pages.