LENEXA, Kan. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that a stormwater project in Kansas City is among several being invited to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Community-Based Partnership - Stormwater Program was invited to apply for a WIFIA loan in the amount of $78 million. The program will integrate stormwater, combined sewer, and green infrastructure projects to address frequent flooding, repair critical infrastructure, and improve water quality. The projects will help the community meet requirements to address combined sewer overflows; repair, replace, and rehabilitate critical infrastructure; improve water quality; protect downstream drinking water; and increase the stormwater management capacity through green infrastructure.

In all, fifty-five projects in 20 states are being invited to apply for $5.1 billion nationally. This funding will help finance over $12 billion in clean water and drinking water infrastructure projects to protect public health and improve water quality in communities across the United States.

WIFIA Program Background

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. WIFIA’s aim is to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

Since the first WIFIA loan closed in 2018, EPA has announced 41 loans that are providing $7.8 billion in credit assistance to help finance $16.8 billion for water infrastructure, while creating over 38,800 jobs and saving ratepayers $3.7 billion.