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ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH ? The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
recently awarded $7.2 million to the city of St. Augustine Beach for wastewater
management. The loan, part of DEP?s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
Program, will help eliminate the septic tanks in the St. Augustine area. The
elimination of septic tanks will help improve water quality in the Matanzas
River and Salt Run. The project will ease the frequent closing of the shellfish
harvesting beds in the area.
The funds awarded to the city of St. Augustine Beach 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 have had a tremendous demand for this ARRA funding, which will help
build valuable public projects.?
St. Augustine Beach 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 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 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/secretary/news/2009/05/0522_02.htm.
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