EPA Announces $19.4M To Improve Water Quality, Infrastructure In Nevada

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $19.4M in funding to invest in Nevada for statewide improvement in local water infrastructure and the reduction of water pollution.

“In the last 26 years, EPA has provided over $366M in funding for Nevada water projects” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “These investments at the federal level help communities throughout the state meet basic needs for clean, safe drinking water and proper wastewater treatment.”

Nevada will use the funds to provide low-cost loans for safe drinking water projects and wastewater infrastructure improvements. Nevada’s Clean Water Revolving Fund provides financing for municipal wastewater treatment projects, while the state’s Drinking Water Revolving Fund provides financial assistance for drinking water infrastructure systems.

The state anticipates allocating a portion of this year’s funds for potential projects such as the replacement of aging sewer lines in Nye County, and the upgrade of McDermitt’s drinking water system to reduce the level of naturally-occurring arsenic and meet the health standards for water supplies.

Recent projects using revolving fund loans include the installation of two new wells in Tonopah to meet the health standards for arsenic. The town’s new wells are at a higher elevation which saved money and improved energy efficiency. In Gerlach, population 200, funds were used to replace aging sewer pipes, preventing the recent influx of thousands of visitors attending the Burning Man festival from overwhelming the wastewater treatment system.

EPA has awarded $186M in federal funding for Nevada’s clean water and drinking water revolving funds since the inception of the program in 1988. The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects including watershed protection and restoration, water and energy efficiency, wastewater reclamation, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment systems including nonpoint source pollution control. The funds also support drinking water infrastructure, as well as drinking water plant operator training, and technical assistance.

The EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region administers and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations -- home to more than 48 million people.

For more information on EPA Region 9’s State Revolving Fund program, visit:http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/grants/srf-loan-prog.html