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BROOKSVILLE ? The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently
awarded $2 million to the city of Brooksville for wastewater management. The funds, part of DEP?s
Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Program, will fund wastewater collection system
rehabilitation and replacement for the city.
This project is needed because the city?s existing aged collection system is subject to high
levels of inflow during periods of heavy rain. This added flow increases the possibility of sewer
backups and overflows, which can lead to violations at the city?s treatment plant and increased
public health risks. It can also contaminate area groundwater. The rehabilitation of the
Brooksville collection system will protect public health and the quality of local groundwater.
The funds awarded to the city of Brooksville are a 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 was one of the first
states to have met all the requirements necessary to receive the full amount of ARRA funds to
support both the CWSRF as well as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (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 advance
our ongoing efforts to provide needed funding for infrastructure to local communities,? said DEP
Secretary Michael W. Sole. ?We had a tremendous demand for this ARRA funding, which will help build
valuable public projects.?
Brooksville is one of 58 projects in 52 Florida communities scheduled to receive ARRA money to
help build critical drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
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
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 1999, the State Revolving Fund Programs have committed more than $2.4 billion, including more
than $265 million last year, to plan, design and build wastewater facilities across the state.
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