FEDERAL REPORTS HIGHLIGHT THE SUCCESSES OF STATE REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS

Despite recent U.S. EPA and Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports describing the success of the state revolving loan fund programs, the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program was funded at only $688 million and the Drinking Water SRF program at only $842 million for fiscal year 2007 by the U.S. House of Representatives. These funds must now be examined by Senate appropriators.  AGC will continue to work with appropriators in the House and Senate to encourage the raising of funding levels for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRFs to minimum levels of $850 million for Drinking Water and $1.35 billion for Clean Water. These reports make the case for the historical success of these programs which have suffered cuts in recent years due to a tight economy. These circumstances help make the case for the AGC-endorsed Clean Water Trust Fund concept upon which HR 4560, the Clean Water Trust Act introduced by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman John J .Duncan (R-TN) is based.

NEW GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ASSESSES STATE USE OF CLEAN WATER SRF FUNDS: A new GAO report assesses state use of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, from which approximately $50 billion (96 per cent) has been spent since its inception in 1987 to build, upgrade or enlarge wastewater treatment facilities and systems. GAO CWSRF Report Abstract

DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND TOPS $9 BILLION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS: EPA reports that 50 states and Puerto Rico have invested almost $9.5 billion in drinking water improvements since 1996, according to the recently released Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) 2005 annual report. The report focuses on nearly 4,400 projects that have ranged from treatment, transmission and distribution, and rehabilitation of wells to developing new sources of water, upgrading storage facilities, and consolidating water.  EPA DWSRF Report