The $97 million in low interest loans to the Medford Water Commission of Medford, Ore., announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will provide much needed infrastructure improvements.
The two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans to the water commission will help finance the Rogue Valley Water Supply Resiliency Program "to provide safer and more resilient drinking water and meet growing demand for the Rogue Valley," according to a May 31 EPA news release.
"Water is an essential and irreplaceable part of our daily lives, but for far too long our water infrastructure has been taken for granted," EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox said in the news release. "That is changing in Medford, thanks in part to $97 million through EPA's WIFIA loan program."
The WIFIA loans will help finance the Rogue Valley Water Supply Resiliency Program to improve treatment that reduces copper and lead in Medford-area's drinking water, expand treatment and storage capacity and modernize processes to improve taste and odor, while also addressing potential emerging contaminants, the release reported. The program also includes construction of a resilient water campus for administration and operational functions.
"This investment in Medford's critical water infrastructure will strengthen water system resiliency, improve water quality and increase capacity to support growth," Fox added, according to the release. "EPA is delivering the benefits of water infrastructure improvements to communities across the country, through WIFIA and with $50 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law."
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who wrote the WIFIA law, said he is pleased by EPA's decision to loan the money to the Medford Water Commission, the release reported.
"I am pleased that the Medford Water Commission's Rogue Valley Water Supply is receiving two WIFIA loans to carry out vital projects ensuring the water in their community is safe and the infrastructure is resilient to natural disasters, without burdening the ratepayers," Merkley said. "I will continue to work to ensure that Oregonians have access to clean and reliable drinking water and support programs like this."
"I am proud of the strategic financial planning that our organization has undertaken to secure this competitive funding," Water Commissioners Board Chair Bob Strosser said in the news release. "The terms of this WIFIA program provide us with a unique opportunity to advance resiliency and capacity — adding projects that will allow us to continue to serve future generations of the Rogue Valley."
