Water Utility/District Funding Opportunities

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The following is a list of potential grant and loan opportunities available to water districts for system improvements (updated September 2023). This list may not include all funding opportunities that are available. Eligibility requirements apply to each funding opportunity that may not be fully detailed here. If you have questions, want additional information, or know of additional opportunities, please contact Ben Lee at blee@landauinc.com or 253-284-4884.

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The list below is based largely on a summary of funding opportunities for Drinking Water and Wastewater Projects prepared by Washington Department of Commerce plus additional funding opportunities, notably USBR WaterSMART Grants, not included in the Commerce summary.

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• Planning/pre-construction:

  • Community Development Block Grants (General Purposes Planning Only) – WA Commerce: grant, up to $30K, for various planning and feasibility study needs. Eligibility: Cities <50k population; Counties <200k population. See here.

  • Source Water Protection Grant Program – WDOH: grant, up to $30K, for watershed, hydrogeologic, or feasibility studies. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public Group A. See here.

  • Water Quality Combined Funding Program loans – Ecology: loans for planning for publicly-owned wastewater and stormwater systems. See here.

    • State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund: loan, up to $5M, for wastewater and stormwater.

    • Centennial Clean Water Fund: grant, up to $5M for wastewater or up to $500K for a nonpoint source pollution control project.

  • Rural Development Pre-Development Planning Grants – USDA: 25/75 grant, up to $60K, for planning for water/sewer infrastructure improvements. Eligibility: Population <10k. See here.

  • Rural Development ‘SEARCH’ Water and Waste Disposal Grants – USDA: grant, up to $30K, for planning for utility upgrades for small communities. Eligibility: Population <2.5k. See here.

  • Community Economic Revitalization Board Project-Specific Planning Program grants – WA Commerce:  20/80 cost-share grant, up to $100K, for planning studies for enhanced economic development for industrial sector business development. See here.

  • Rural Community Assistance Corporation Feasibility and Pre-Development loans – RCAC: loan, up to $50K (feasibility) or $350K (pre-development), for planning for utility infrastructure improvements for rural low-income communities. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public, population <50k. See here.

  • Drinking Water State Revolving Fund – WDOH. See here.

    • Consolidation Feasibility Study grants: grant, up to $50K per project, for planning activities for Group A water system consolidation. Eligibility: Not-for-profit Group A <10k population.

    • Preconstruction loans: loan, up to $500K, for planning activities for utility improvements. Eligibility: Group A.

  • Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program grants – FEMA/ WA EMD: 10/90 grant for hazard mitigation planning. See here.

  • WaterSMART – USBR

    • Title XVI – Water Reclamation and Reuse. See here.

    • Water and Energy Efficiency: 50/50 cost-share grant, up to $500k or $2M, for water/energy conservation, efficiency, and reliability. See here.

    • Drought Response Program Contingency Planning:  0, 25 or 50% cost-share grant, up to $400K, for planning for drought resiliency. See here.

    • Water Strategy Grants: 0, 25, or 50% cost-share grant, up to $400K, for conducting planning to support water supply and management solutions. See here.

    • Project Design Grants: 0, 25, or 50% cost-share grant, up to $400K, for the development of projects to improve water management or water supplies. See here.

    • Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase I: grant, up to $300K, for the group development, restoration planning, and/or management project design of a watershed. See here.
       

• Pre-Construction Only:

  • Water Quality Combined Funding Program loans and grants – Ecology: funding for planning for publicly-owned wastewater and stormwater systems. See here.

    • State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund: loan, up to $5M, for wastewater.

    • Centennial Clean Water Fund: grant, up to $5M for wastewater projects or up to $500K for a nonpoint pollution control project.

    • Stormwater Financial Assistance Program: grant, up to $5M, for stormwater

  • Public Works Board Pre-Construction Program loans – WA Commerce: loan, up to $1M, for pre-construction for utility improvements. See here.

  • Rural Community Assistance Corporation Feasibility and Pre-Development loans – RCAC: loan, up to $50K for feasibility or $350K for pre-development for water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, or environmental planning and for infrastructure improvements. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public, population <50k. See here.  

 

• Construction and Design/Construction:

  • Community Development Block Grants General Purpose Grants – WA Commerce: grant, up to $2M, for construction and acquisition projects. Eligibility: Cities <50k population; Counties <200k population. See here.

  • USDA Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loans and Grants – USDA: mostly loans (grants if funding is available) for water sourcing, treatment, storage, distribution and for sewer. Eligibility: Population <10k. See here.

  • Drinking Water State Revolving Fund – WDOH. See here.

    • Water Main Replacement Loan Program: loan, up to $1M, for water main replacements. Eligibility: Not-for-profit Group A <10k population.

    • Construction Loan Program: loan, up to $5M, for drinking water infrastructure improvements. Eligibility: Group A.

    • Lead Service Line (Inventory and Replacement) Loan Program: loan, $25k minimum, no maximum. Eligibility: Group A Community, Group A non-profit non-community, tribal-owned non-profit community systems. See here.

  • Water Quality Combined Funding Program loans – Ecology: funding for construction for publicly-owned wastewater and stormwater systems. See here.

    • State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund: loan, up to $5M, for wastewater.

    • Centennial Clean Water Fund: grant, up to $5M for wastewater projects or up to $500K for a nonpoint project.

    • Stormwater Financial Assistance Program: grant, up to $10M, with a 15 percent required match, for stormwater.

  • Rural Community Assistance Corporation – RCAC: loans for construction and capital needs for rural low-income water, wastewater, solid waste, and stormwater facilities. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public, population <50k. See here.

    • construction loans: up to $3M.

    • intermediate term loan: up to $100K.

  • Rural Water Revolving Loan Fund loans – National Rural Water Association: loan, up to $100K for water utility small capital projects. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public with population <10k. See here.

  • Community Economic Revitalization Board Committed Private Partner Program – WA Commerce: loan, up to $5M, and grant for up to 25% of total award, for public facility projects required by private sector expansion and job creation. See here.

  • Public Works Board Construction Program loans – WA Commerce: loan, up to $10M, for utility infrastructure improvement projects. See here.

  • Energy Efficiency and Solar Grants Program – WA Commerce

    • Energy Efficiency Grant (electricity, gas, water, etc): grant, up to $500K, for utility efficiency projects. See here.

    • Solar Grants: grant, up to $350K, for installation of grid-tied solar projects. See here.

  • WaterSMART – USBR

    • Title XVI – Water Reclamation and Reuse. See here.

    • Water and Energy Efficiency: 50/50 cost-share grant, up to $500K or $2M or $5M, for water/energy conservation, efficiency, and reliability. See here. 

    • Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects: 50/50 cost-share grant, up to $100K, for limited scope water conservation or measurement upgrades. See here.

    • Drought Response Program Resiliency Projects:  50/50 cost-share grant, up to $500K or $2M or $5M, for infrastructure improvements to provide enhanced water reliability. Grant, up to $10M, for disadvantaged communities, for domestic water supply projects. See here.
       

• Emergency:

  • Rural Development Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants – USDA: grant, up to $150K for emergency repair of existing water system or $500K to mitigate declining water supply due to emergency. Eligibility: Non-profit with population <10k. See here.

  • Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Emergency Loan Program – WDOH: up to $500K for response to loss of critical drinking water services due to emergency. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public with population <10k. See here.

  • Public Works Board Emergency Loan Program – WA Commerce: loan, up to $1M, for public works project made necessary by natural disaster. See here.

  • Rural Water Revolving Loan Fund Disaster Area Emergency Loan – National Rural Water Association: loan for emergency response. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public with population <10k. See here.

  • Ecology Clean Water State Revolving Fund Emergency Funding Program loan – Ecology: loan, up to $5M, for water quality related projects that meet the definition of ‘environmental emergency’ [WAC 173-98-030(27)]. Eligibility: Non-profit/Public with population <10k. See here.

  • FEMA/WA EMD

    • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program: 12.5% cost-share grant for disaster risk-reduction projects and planning after a disaster declaration. See here.

    • Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (to be Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities Program) grants: 25% cost-share grant for disaster risk-reduction projects and planning before a disaster occurs. See here.

    • Public Assistance Program grants: for construction and repair of publicly-owned facilities damaged during a disaster. See here.

  • WaterSMART – USBR

    • Drought Response Program Emergency Response Actions: grant funding for temporary (not permanent) crisis-driven construction or water delivery needs. See here.