The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an $89 million loan to King County, Washington, aimed at upgrading wastewater treatment systems. This funding comes from the EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program. It is intended to improve the reliability of reclaimed water and enhance system resiliency against future seismic events.
“With EPA’s $89 million loan, we are supporting King County’s efforts to safely manage wastewater while recovering resources to benefit local communities and protecting treasured waterbodies like the Puget Sound,” said EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “This suite of infrastructure projects, including seismic upgrades, will help ensure that 2 million King County residents have reliable and resilient wastewater treatment that provides a strong foundation for thriving communities.”
EPA Regional Administrator Casey Sixkiller emphasized the financial benefits: “This low-interest financing helps preserve critical wastewater infrastructure to protect Puget Sound while saving rate payers millions of dollars. These kinds of partnerships are critical as we tackle the most pressing environmental and public health challenges before us.”
The WIFIA loan will enable several improvements in King County's wastewater treatment plants. This includes constructing a new reclaimed water storage facility at Brightwater Treatment Plant in Woodinville and implementing pump seismic upgrades and tank rehabilitation at South Treatment Plant in Renton. These efforts form part of King County’s Wastewater 2024 Improvements Project.
“This federal loan package builds on King County’s historic progress in clean water infrastructure, with the most improvements in the last five years since our treatment system was built in the 1960s,” stated King County Executive Dow Constantine. “We value our continued partnership with the EPA to protect Puget Sound and improve water quality for the people, salmon, and orcas that depend on it.”
Since becoming WIFIA's first borrower in 2018, King County has secured four loans totaling over $1 billion for clean water infrastructure investments, which are expected to create over 4,000 jobs and save nearly $100 million in costs. The current loan is part of a master agreement committing $498 million towards regional wastewater system enhancements.
Overall, EPA’s WIFIA program has provided more than $21 billion in financing for $47 billion worth of water infrastructure projects across the country, generating over 150,000 jobs.
