Virginia receives grant for water quality projects

PHILADELPHIA—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing $13.9 million to the Commonwealth of Virginia to improve water quality. The grant, along with $2.8 million in state match, was awarded to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to further capitalize its revolving loan fund that provides low-interest loans for construction of wastewater treatment facilities, nonpoint source and estuary projects, and other water quality management work.

DEQ will leverage the funds to issue bonds, which combined with these grants will make $252 million available for water quality project loans. The funding includes the EPA grant, state match, state bonds, repayments from prior loans, interest earnings, and funds that have become available from prior years.

In Virginia, more than $230 million will go to projects for enhanced treatment of wastewater to remove nutrients, ultimately benefitting the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Other projects to be funded will address sewer problems in local areas—including combined sewer overflows and inflow and infiltration problems—and a brownfield site in Alexandria, Va.