By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P] / Bay City News
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan came to Redwood City Tuesday to announce three loans totaling $168 million that will go toward water infrastructure on the Peninsula and in the East Bay.
Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans seek to improve water infrastructure across the country to make it safe and sustainable.
"I have seen firsthand the urgency of modernizing it to ensure it can withstand the impacts of climate change," Regan said. "Investing in this is one of the best decisions we can make to improve the health of our communities and the health of our economy."
Two of the loans are assigned to Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW), a joint powers authority that recycles and treats wastewater for 220,000 residents and businesses in southern San Mateo County.
The most recent loans, totaling $143 million, will help finance its RESCU program, 11 projects that constitute the total replacement and rehabilitation of SVCW's conveyance system, including the Gravity pipeline, among other improvements to its treatment plant.
"This is a fantastic project for our residents," said Silicon Valley Clean Water Commission Chair Alicia Aguirre.
Aguirre said that this project will ensure that residents will have clean recycled water without having to pay extra.
"That's why loans like this are so important: we now have state-of-the-art infrastructure to save costs," Aguirre said.
"The most exciting thing to me is the jobs it brings and helping the economy ... especially during COVID," said Teresa Herrera, manager of Silicon Valley Clean Water. "That and the sustainability and innovative technologies we use."
Improvements to the treatment facility, which was built in 1980, will create more than 2,300 jobs and are expected to be completed in 2023.
The remaining $25 million loan is allocated to the Oro Loma Sanitation District in Alameda County to help finance improvements to the sewer collection system.
There are 273 miles of clay pipes, originally built in the 1940s and 1950s, that have been deteriorating and will be rebuilt with WIFIA loans.
"We're very excited," said Oro Loma board president Rita Duncan. "The other great thing is that we serve one of the disadvantaged communities, so it was really wonderful to receive this money to help our community."
Regan said this latest round of WIFIA loans is an example of what is to come if the infrastructure bill being considered by Congress passes the House of Representatives.
Under the Senate-passed version of the bill, the EPA is set to get $50 billion to accelerate progress on "much-needed water infrastructure improvements," including lead service lines and lead pipes, as well as upgrading drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure across the country, Regan said.
"Importantly, we will also be able to create good-paying jobs and support the foundation for the future economic vitality of all of our communities," Regan concluded.
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