Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

Jump to CWSRF Materials

  • City of Bangor; Davis Brook CSO tank

  • City of Biddeford; Graham Street sewer separation

  • Town of Hartland; Clarifier cover

  • Newport Sanitary District; New lagoon liner and aeration

Through a partnership between the Maine Municipal Bond Bank (MMBB) and the DEP, the CWSRF program provides low interest loans to municipalities and quasi-municipal corporations (i.e. village corporations, sanitary, sewer & utility districts, etc.) for the construction of wastewater infrastructure projects. The DEP Division of Water Quality Management (DWQM) administers the technical aspects of the CWSRF program and the projects funded by it. The long-term goal of the CWSRF is to establish a self-sustaining loan program that will maintain and improve Maine's inventory of municipal sewage facilities in perpetuity. By working toward a self-sustaining fund, Maine’s municipal sewage treatment facilities can be better maintained resulting in better water quality throughout the state.

Projects

The primary purpose of the fund is to acquire, plan, design, construct, enlarge, repair and/or improve publicly-owned sewage collection systems, interceptor sewers, pumping stations, and wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the program also funds public and private non-point source water quality protection and improvement projects, such as landfill closures, sand/salt storage facilities, septic system repair and replacement, storm water projects, agricultural best management practices, and specific silviculture equipment purchases.

Funding

The CWSRF program is funded by federal and state contributions which are loaned out and repaid with interest. The repayment and interest money is recycled back into the program to fund additional water quality protection or improvement projects. The revolving nature of the program is designed to provide ongoing funding for water quality projects. The MMBB combines federal, state, and repayment monies to create attractive interest rates. The program offers interim and long-term financing for projects at or below the municipal tax-exempt rate. Loan terms up to 30 years or the useful life of the project, whichever is less, are available. If an entity has the financial capacity to borrow and that the program has sufficient funding, there is no minimum or maximum amount that an entity must or can borrow.

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)

The Department notified municipal dischargers, stormwater, non-point source control entities, and consulting engineers of the FFY 2024 funding available for wastewater infrastructure and water pollution abatement projects and requested that they submit a listing of any projects to be considered for funding. The FFY 2024 federal appropriation allows States, to use a portion of their capitalization grant as additional subsidy to borrowers. We have not yet received notification of the State’s base CWSRF 2024 allotment, however, we are proceeding to solicit projects for funding so that we can make funds available as soon as possible. Deadline for Submission is on or before 5:00pm, April 8th, 2024.

On November 15th, 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) which provides additional funding allocations to the CWSRF for the years FY 2022 through FY 2026. The BIL will also provide funding to be used in the treatment of any pollutant that is a perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) or any pollutant identified by the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator as a contaminant of emerging concern. For the State of Maine’s CWSRF program, we are anticipating this supplemental and emerging contaminant funding respectively to be $17.7M and $1.6M for 2024, with an increasing annual amount from this fund through 2026. To summarize the FFY 2024 the estimated funding available see the table below:

FFY 2024 estimated funding
FFY 2024 Funds Total Amount Principal Forgiveness
CWSRF - Base $ ????? $ ?????
CWSRF - BIL Supp $ 17,782,000 $ 8,625,960
CWSRF - EC $ 1,600,000 $ 1,600,000
CWSRF - Repayments $ 30,000,000 $ 0
CWSRF State Match $ 3,556,400 $ 0
Total (Excluding Base) $52,938,400 $ 10,225,960

For additional information regarding the funding opportunities available through CWSRF, see the 2024 CWSRF Project Funding Requests Announcement.

For those with funding offers, see the Maine Municipal Bond Bank (applications) (off-site) to secure funding before the September 30th Deadline.

How to Apply for 2024 CWSRF Funding

2024 CWSRF Information Request for:

  • 2024 CWSRF Application 1 – Information Request Form for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects is for applicants requesting funding for wastewater infrastructure projects.
  • 2024 CWSRF Application 2 – Information Request for Standalone FSPs & CAPs is for applicants that are not requesting funding for a wastewater infrastructure project but are interested in FSP and/or CAP funding.
  • 2024 CWSRF Application 3 – Information Request for Standalone SW/NPS Management planning studies.

Attachments and calculators:

Contact

Brandy Piers, P. Eng., P.E.
Engineering Services Manager
(207) 287-6093

Mike Riley, P.E.
CSO and FSP Coordinator
(207) 287-7766

Robert Hartley, P.E.
SCG and OBD Coordinator
(207) 881-9490

Division of Water Quality Management
17 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0017

CWSRF Intended Use Plans

Federal regulations require states with SRFs to develop Intended Use Plans (IUP) identifying the intended uses of the funds and describe how those uses support the goals of the SRF. The IUP must be prepared annually and must be subject to public comment and review before being submitted to EPA.

CWSRF Annual Reports

The CWSRF Annual Report describes how the State of Maine has met the goals and objectives of the CWSRF program for the previous year as identified in the Federal Fiscal Year Intended Use Plan. These reports identify the actual use of program funds; and it provides details of the financial position of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).

Rules

Chapter 595, State Revolving Fund, contains requirements pertaining to the SRF program.

Statutes

CWSRF Materials

Green Project Reserve

Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP)

How to Request a Payment

American Iron and Steel Information and Forms

Buy America Build America Act

Davis-Bacon Act Documents and Forms

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Forms