EPA: $250 million for infrastructure, advance renewable energy in Springfield, Massachusetts
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This WIFIA loan will help improve water quality and reliability by rehabilitating aging infrastructure throughout the system while restoring a hydropower facility that will deliver renewable energy to the Springfield water treatment plant.
The Springfield Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Renewal Program will increase system reliability and ensure that drinking water is safe and wastewater is safely returned to the environment by rehabilitating, replacing, and upgrading drinking water and wastewater treatment processes.
The program includes 30 integrated water and wastewater infrastructure projects that will support system reliability, resiliency, and regulatory compliance by removing disinfection byproducts and meeting new water discharge limits.
The project also enables the water treatment plant to be powered by 100 percent renewable self-generated energy by rehabilitating the hydropower facility, providing a green power source for the system.
EPA’s WIFIA funding allows the Springfield infrastructure renewal program to accelerate these essential system updates by approximately 15 years.
The project will cost $550 million and the WIFIA loan will finance nearly half of that figure. The remaining project costs will be funded by a combination of a $200 million loan from the Massachusetts Clean Water State Revolving Fund and system funds. The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission will save approximately $60 million from financing with a WIFIA loan, which enables the Commission to continue to support residents in need through its customer assistance programs. Project construction and operation are expected to create more than 1,700 jobs. ■