Boise, ID. — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today announced the award of $15,388,688 in construction grants to five drinking water and wastewater systems.
These construction projects are funded from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that Governor Brad Little directed to DEQ in 2022.
“Water is our most valuable resource, and we absolutely must keep up the infrastructure to ensure water is clean and plentiful for this generation and future ones. That is why we made historic investments in water quality and quantity this year as part of my ‘Leading Idaho’ plan,” Governor Little said. “These investments also could keep your property taxes low. Property taxes are determined locally but the investments we made in water and other infrastructure needs at the state level help relieve the burden on local government to cover costs of projects, improving the chances property owners won’t be burdened with the costs,” said Governor Little.
The following facilities have received funding:
City of Bliss – The city of Bliss in Gooding County was awarded $7,554,554 to construct a new drinking water well and undergo an evaluation of senior water rights including potential acquisition of the property. The city will also evaluate their current drinking water well for needed distribution improvements.
City of Driggs – The city of Driggs in Teton County was awarded $1,531,330 to rehabilitate the main spring source, install a booster station, conduct a modification of pressure reducing valves, and replace water lines.
City of Oakley – The city of Oakley in Cassia County was awarded $673,814 to construct a new well, well house, and storage tank.
City of Shoshone – The city of Shoshone in Lincoln County was awarded $4,372,871 to construct a new water storage tank, install an electrical generator and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, upgrade the well house electrical including variable frequency drives, and improve the distribution system.
Southside Water and Sewer District – Southside Water and Sewer District in Bonner County was awarded $1,256,119 to expand the system’s source water production and evaluate the system’s current storage options and backup power.
Background
In 2022, the State of Idaho approved plans to roll out $300 million in water and wastewater infrastructure project funding, benefiting communities across Idaho through DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund program. This program provides low-interest loans and grants to qualified recipients to improve their drinking water and wastewater facilities. The criteria and list to expend the ARPA funds are listed at Caution: EmailHosting.cloud has detected a possible phishing attempt from “r20.rs6.net” claiming to be https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/deq-leading-idaho-water-projects_06-2022.pdf.
These construction grants represent an estimated $24,640,804 savings to communities compared to average costs for municipal general obligation debt issuances. For more information about DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund Program and to learn more about this year’s funding recipients, go to DEQ’s Construction Loans page.