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OLDSMAR — The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today
presented the city of Oldsmar $3 million in federal stimulus funding for the construction of a new
alternative water supply project. Oldsmar?s Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant, when complete,
will have the ability to generate two million gallons of water a day and help reduce demand on the
regional supply of fresh water.
The funds, part of DEP's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program, will allow the city
to be self sufficient in its drinking water supply and meet future demands removing the need to
purchase water from the regional utility.
"It is great to see how Florida's communities are utilizing the funding from the federal
government," said DEP Southwest District Director Deborah Getzoff. "The city of Oldsmar is investing
in alternative water supply and investing in its future improving the local economy and its
citizens? quality of life."
The funds awarded to Oldsmar are part of the approximately $217 million awarded to Florida from
the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to help local governments finance
improvements to wastewater, stormwater and drinking water facilities essential to protecting public
health and the environment across the state. Florida is one of the first states to have met all the
requirements necessary to receive the full amount of ARRA funds to support both the Clean Water
State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) as well as the DWSRF.
?In order to protect water quality and public health for our citizens, it is essential that we
invest in our wastewater, stormwater and drinking water infrastructure. The stimulus funds support
Oldsmar?s Alternative Water Supply Project, a viable plan for water independence which will
eliminate Oldsmar?s demand on the regional utility, accommodate future growth and add quality
drinking water capacity to the declining regional supply,? said Oldsmar City Manager Bruce T.
Haddock.
DEP has committed all $217 million in available CWSRF and DWSRF ARRA funding. Qualifying projects
were selected for ARRA funding, based on their readiness and priority, at public hearings held on
February 25, May 13 and August 12. DEP will also continue to work with all applicants to help them
apply for other funding as it becomes available.
DEP received more than $850 million in requests for the $85 million of ARRA drinking water
project funds and more than $1.5 billion in requests competing for $132.3 million in ARRA wastewater
and stormwater funding.
DEP established its SRF programs, under agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
to provide low-interest financing to plan, design and build wastewater, stormwater and drinking
water systems. Funded by federal capitalization grants, state matching funds, loan repayments,
interest earnings, and periodic bond issues, SRF loans are offered at interest rates substantially
below current market rates and help make loans affordable. Repayments from earlier loans are used to
make new loans, allowing the program to operate in perpetuity.
Since 1999, Florida has invested more than $3.7 billion to upgrade and improve water and
wastewater facilities and clean up stormwater pollution, funding about 2,400 projects statewide.
Since its inception, the Drinking Water SRF program has committed more than $430 million to plan,
design and build drinking water facilities across the state, including more than $49 million last
year.
For more information on the State Revolving Funds, visit:
www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wff.
For complete list of communities scheduled to receive ARRA funding, visit:
www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wff/dwsrf/docs/arra-fundlist-dw.pdf
and
www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/news/2009/05/files/cwsrf.pdf.
For more information about Florida's use of the federal recovery dollars made available through
ARRA, please visit
www.FlaRecovery.com.
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2012 State of Florida