NEIWPCC, in collaboration with member states and the U.S. EPA, held the National State Revolving Fund (SRF) Workshop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in July. The workshop covered programmatic, financial, and technical aspects of SRFs. Session topics included environmental justice, PFAS, climate resilience and energy efficiency, nonpoint source management, and the 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey.
Susan Sullivan, NEIWPCC executive director, and Rene Pelletier, NEIWPCC commissioner and Water Division director with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services provided opening remarks, focusing on the incoming federal funding with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that may catalyze infrastructure improvements across the country.
Participants ranged from federal agencies, state agencies from the Northeast and throughout Appalachia and the Midwest, to the private and nonprofit sector. The workshop allowed participants to hear from other states on how they are using SRF dollars, what challenges they have encountered, as well as lessons learned and new opportunities. With increased focus on supporting disadvantaged and rural communities, attendees discussed persistent obstacles and innovative financing solutions to address water quality and public health challenges.
“The workshop was a successful networking event for folks working on SRF topics,” said James Plummer, NEIWPCC environmental analyst and coordinator of the SRF Workshop. “The excitement that the BIL has inspired was palpable, especially when it came to discussions about nontraditional eligibilities like nonpoint source management and source water protection.”
The event concluded with a field trip to the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s recently upgraded Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility. The award-winning facility utilized $89.1 million in state funding, the largest in the history of the New Hampshire SRF loan programs.
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