The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a significant financial commitment to improving drinking water infrastructure in South Florida. Administrator Lee Zeldin revealed that the EPA will provide a $147 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. This loan is part of the EPA's "Powering the Great American Comeback" initiative, which focuses on protecting human health and the environment while using taxpayer dollars efficiently.
"This nearly $150 million WIFIA loan will provide clean and safe drinking water to 150,000 Americans," stated Administrator Zeldin. He emphasized collaboration with local, public, and private partners to ensure clean air, land, and water for all Americans.
The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority plans to use this funding for several projects across Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. These initiatives aim to enhance the system's resilience against hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions, address emerging contaminants, and increase capacity for customer needs. The improvements include critical upgrades to transmission mains, storage tanks, and a water treatment facility. Additionally, these enhancements are expected to protect against saltwater intrusion damage and improve drinking water quality.
Greg Veliz, Executive Director of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, expressed gratitude for the partnership with EPA: "This collaboration enables the Authority to maintain the delivery of safe, reliable potable water while effectively mitigating risk during emergencies."
The WIFIA loan also allows for deferred principal payments over several years, potentially saving the Authority an estimated $29.5 million throughout its duration. This marks EPA's second WIFIA loan to the Authority; together they total around $200 million in financing aimed at accelerating essential drinking water system projects.
Since its inception in 2018, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced over $21 billion in financing for various water infrastructure projects nationwide. These projects have created over 160,000 jobs by strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems through competitive interest rates and flexible financing features.
Established by Congress in 2014 under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), this federal loan program administered by EPA aims to boost investment in national water infrastructure projects of regional or national significance.
Currently entering its eighth selection round for WIFIA financing opportunities worth $6.5 billion—alongside another $1 billion via SWIFIA—the agency invites interested parties' letters expressing interest regarding both programs' loans.
