The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recently released a memo detailing the fiscal outlook for Oregon’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Loan Program. Since the CWSRF Loan Program was established in 1990, the DEQ has made low interest loans totaling more than $750 million to eligible projects. Congress increased CWSRF loan program funding for fiscal year 2010 and Oregon’s share should come to about $23 million. Additionally, the jobs creation bill currently in Congress would, if signed in its current form, provide an estimated $11 million in additional funding for Oregon’s CWSRF loan program.
The loan program targets various water quality improvement projects such as wastewater and sewer upgrades, irrigation system improvements, riparian habitat restoration and water quality monitoring. Entities eligible to receive the low interest CWSRF loans include, but are not limited to, cities, counties, irrigation districts, and soil and water conservation districts. DEQ accepts and processes applications year-round and those interested in more information should contact the DEQ CWSRF regional Project Officer (listed at the end of the DEQ memo).
