Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the State of Maine a total of $23,531,000 from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program to finance community-based water infrastructure projects, such as upgrades to municipal sewage plants and public drinking water systems.

“The success of our economy in Maine depends upon the protection of clean, safe waterways,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement.  “This funding will enable the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to continue their work to preserve marine environments and ensure Mainers have access to clean, safe drinking water.”

Of the total funding, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will receive $12,424,000 for its Clean Water SRF program, and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will receive $11,107,000 for its Drinking Water SRF program.  With these investments, Maine DEP and Maine DHHS will fund a series of long- and short-term community-based projects that address high-priority water quality and health-based concerns.

Maine DEP and Maine DHHS oversee the engineering and construction aspects of the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF programs, respectively, as well as the individual projects funded by it, while the Maine Municipal Bond Bank is the financial manager of both funds.

Under the Drinking Water SRF, states provide various types of assistance, including financing, to improve drinking water treatment, fix leaky or old pipes, improve source of water supply, and replace or construct finished water storage tanks. Clean Water SRF programs provide loans to construct municipal wastewater facilities, control nonpoint sources of pollution, build decentralized wastewater treatment systems, create green infrastructure projects, and protect estuaries.