Wastewater-Related Environmental Infrastructure Assistance

Funding for:

What does this funding get me?

  • Low-interest loans (1/2 of market interest rates)
  • Limited amount of principal forgiveness loans
  • 0% interest loans available for Green Projects and for rehabilitation projects for certain local government units

Am I eligible?

Local Government Units (counties, cities, towns, sanitary districts, etc.)

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 Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Visit DEQ’s web page on the CWSRF for full details.

Eligible Projects

  • Wastewater treatment
  • Wastewater collection
  • Reclaimed water
  • Stormwater Best Management Practices
  • Stream restoration
  • Energy efficiency at treatment works or collection systems

Key Program Requirements

  • Loan maximum is $35 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 CWSRF Program has two funding cycles per year, typically in March and September. The current funding cycle opened on July 30, 2024 with applications due by Sept. 30, 2024.

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

Check out the Department of Agriculture’s Watershed and Flood Protection Operations funding.

Where can I get more information?