New program is modeled on successful wastewater revolving loan program.
T he Illinois EPA is currently putting the final touches on a new program that will make low interest loans available to public water supplies. Recognizing both the essential importance of a safe drinking water supply and the costs of achieving it, Congress last August amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to create a program whereby states would be given capitalization grants to administer their own drinking water loan programs. The Agency anticipates development of its initial project priority list by mid-summer, award of federal capitalization funds by late September, and initial loan awards soon thereafter. Senate Bill 815 requires that the public water supply loan program given priority to publicly owned water supplies that need to make capital improvements to protect human health and to achieve compliance with the state and federal primary drinking water standards. The Illinois EPA will identify these water supplies from its own compliance records and work with them through the loan program.