Drinking Water-Related Environmental Infrastructure Assistance

What does this funding get me?

  • Low-interest loans (1/2 of market interest rates)
  • Limited amount of principal forgiveness loans

Am I eligible?

  • Local government units (counties, cities, towns, sanitary districts, etc.)
  • Nonprofit water corporations
  • Investor-owned drinking water corporations

How can I access the money?

The grant is part of the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021). In North Carolina, it supplemented funding already being offered by the Department of Environmental Quality’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Visit DEQ’s web page on the DWSRF for full details.

Eligible projects 

Source, treatment, storage, or transmission and distribution systems.

What are key program requirements?

  • Loan maximum is $25 million
  • Construction must start within 24 months of Letter of Intent to Fund
  • Closing fee of 2% (which cannot be financed)
  • Local Government Commission (LGC) must approve all loans

What is the timeline?

The DWSRF Program has two funding cycles per year, typically in March and September.

What other incentives could I use to help me accomplish my goals?

Check back later for possible additional incentives.

Where can I get more information?