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EPA Provides Funds to Virginia for Drinking Water Projects

Release Date: 6/13/2003
Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

Contact: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567
PHILADELPHIA - The United States Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $11 million to the Virginia Department of Health to improve drinking water systems and protect drinking water supplies. The state will contribute $4.5 million in matching funds.

“Our country has one of the best supplies of safe, clean drinking water in the world. This grant is an important step in keeping the Virginia drinking water supply healthy,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

About $13.7 million of the funding will be used for low-interest loans that communities can use to fund improvements to drinking water systems that could include upgrading treatment plants, replacing distribution lines, improving pumping stations and constructing wells and transmission mains.

Additionally, the Virginia Department of Health will use about $1.8 million of the funding to manage the loan program, to provide technical assistance to small water systems, to expand operator training and certification programs, to protect drinking water supplies from contamination and to ensure that drinking water systems remain viable.

The state selects projects based on environmental, public health and technical merit. For information on the proposed community projects, please contact Thomas Gray at 804-786-1087.

The EPA grant is from the drinking water state revolving fund authorized by the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. The program emphasizes preventing contamination through source water protection and enhanced water systems management. The fund helps to ensure that public drinking water supplies remain safe and affordable, and that drinking water systems are properly operated and maintained. As communities repay their loans, the funds are available for new projects in Virginia.