Local Cities Receive Millions for Water Infrastructure Improvements

(KNSI) – The City of St. Cloud has received over $7 million in loan money from the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority for water infrastructure improvements.

The $7,419,725 comes from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. According to the City of St. Cloud website, the Clean Water SRF “is supported through a combination of federal capitalization grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state matching funds, loan repayments, and bond proceeds from PFA revenue bonds.”

The city will use the money for a project that will consist of replacing lift stations and SCADA system improvements.

The City of Clearwater also received $1,114,021 for water main looping and improvements for the area of the city south of Interstate 94.

The loans and grants were for 24 improvements for wastewater and drinking water systems around the state. A press release from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says, “Most of the funding came directly from the PFA’s Clean Water and Drinking Water revolving loan funds, and grants from the Water Infrastructure Fund (WIF) and Point Source Implementation Grants (PSIG) grants programs. An additional $150 million came from other state funding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local sources.”

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