November 2020's Water and Wastewater Roundup is a snapshot of insights for our Water Industry clients. We share industry drivers, notable projects, recent mergers and acquisitions, interesting reads, and updates on upcoming meetings and conferences.
Industry Drivers
Our data team tracks new and updated industry drivers. Here are some recent drivers we have been following this month:
U.S. EPA Announces Nearly $500 Million for Water Infrastructure Projects in Northern California
Status: Effective
Organization: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Summary: On November 10, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced three Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $497 million to Sunnyvale, San Mateo, and Foster City in Northern California. Ther loans will help improve wastewater management while benefiting public health, water quality, and the environment. These loans are significant to residents of Bay area communities that have been affected by lingering sanitation problems in the greater San Francisco Bay. The city of Sunnyvale is getting $220 million to help finance the Sunnyvale Clean Water Program. The loan will fund upgrades to the existing secondary and tertiary treatment facilities, construct new secondary and biosolids handling facilities, and reconstruct the support facilities necessary to operate the plant. City of San Mateo and the Foster City Estero Municipal Improvement District will get $277 million, or $210 million for the City of San Mateo and $67 million for the Estero Municipal Improvement District/City of Foster City. The loan will help finance upgrades to the aging San Mateo wastewater treatment plant.
Click here for more information.
EPA Receives 67 New Requests for WIFIA Financing Totaling Over $9 Billion
Status: Proposed
Organization: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Summary: On November 19, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had admitted 67 letters of interest for the agency’s 2020 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Notice of Funding Availability. A total of $9.2 billion was asked this year - the most immense amount ever inquired through the WIFIA program. The 2020 letters of interest cover reducing lead and emerging contaminants and supporting wastewater management, drinking water quality, desalination, stormwater management, and combined approaches.
Click here for more information.
EPA Final Permit Will Protect the Health of Great Bay
Status: Effective
Organization: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Summary: On November 24, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the finalizing and issuance of a Clean Water Act general permit for wastewater treatment plants discharging to New Hampshire's Great Bay. This permit will preserve water quality and the health of ecosystems throughout the bay by limiting nitrogen discharges. Under the permit's terms, 13 wastewater treatment plants in 12 New Hampshire communities are suitable for coverage. If they willingly choose to opt into the permit, they will be obliged to meet seasonal average load limits for total nitrogen designed to protect the bay from water quality impairments due to excess nutrient loading. The 12 communities that are suitable for coverage under the permit are Portsmouth (two facilities), Newington, Durham, Newmarket, Epping, Exeter, Newfields, Dover, Rochester, Rollinsford, Somersworth, and Milton.
Click here for more information.
Notable Capital Improvement Programs
Here are some recent, notable Capital Improvement Programs (CIPs). FirmoGraphs has deconstructed the CIPs into data elements, along with available project descriptions. Please feel free to request a meeting and review the data live in the BI.
An Increase of $1.6 Billion to the City of Phoenix Capital Improvement Program
In June 2020, the City of Phoenix adopted its latest FY 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Program. We have completed our review.
Looking back at the FY 2020-2024 approved Capital Program, it totaled $7 billion. The highest appropriations were designated for the Business Areas of Water ($1.6 billion), Public Transit ($1.4 billion), and Wastewater ($1 billion).
This year’s CIP totals $8.6 billion, which is an increase of 23.1%. The Business Area of Public Transit is now the highest appropriated area, with $1.9 billion, while for Water was appropriated $1.7 billion, and for Wastewater $1.3 billion, showing slight increase over years.
The current 2021-2025 Capital Program has intended funds for 930 projects, 11 less than the last year.
As mentioned, this Capital Plan has 930 unique projects. Three of the most valuable ones are:
- South Central Light Rail Extension - $617 million
- Union Pacific Railroad Grade (Trench) Separation - $366.6 million
- Airport Development Plan – Contingency - $355.6 million
In relation to Water and Wastewater Business Areas, two major projects stand out:
- Water Construction Project - $158.4 million. Project will provide contingency funding for change orders, inflationary increases and other unexpected costs.
- Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant – Rehabilitation - $143.5 million. The goal for this Project is to assess, design and rehabilitate equipment and systems at the Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant.
Source: https://www.phoenix.gov/budget
What We Are Reading
- New Jersey Sues 3 Firms Over Chemicals in Drinking Water, https://tinyurl.com/y25ktsu6
- Dingell Says ‘Forever Chemicals’ Top Congressional Priority, https://tinyurl.com/y5qdt6lk
- CDM Smith Teams Up with the City of Memphis to Secure $156 Million Water Infrastructure Loan from EPA’s WIFIA Program, https://tinyurl.com/y2jav7f4
- EPA Enhances PFAS Research Projects through Lean Management, https://tinyurl.com/y6fscudg
- U.S. EPA Announces Nearly $500 Million for Water Infrastructure Projects in Northern California, https://tinyurl.com/y5r56jrv
- EPA Invites Iowa, California, and Rhode Island to Apply for $695 Million in Water Infrastructure Loans, https://tinyurl.com/y4serkn4
- EPA Invites Rhode Island to Apply for $39+ Million Water Infrastructure Loan, https://tinyurl.com/y6b26duk
- EPA Receives 67 New Requests for WIFIA Financing Totaling Over $9 Billion, https://tinyurl.com/y6pd93n9
Meeting Planner
Organizations have shifted their event strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are tracking these changing meeting plans.
Meetings in December 2020 and January 2021
- (Virtual Event) - ACWA 2020 Fall Virtual Conference & Exhibition, Dec. 02 to Dec. 03, 2020, http://ow.ly/IgDD50CwuuT
- (Virtual Event) - ACWWA Annual Conference - 2020, Dec. 08 to Dec. 10, 2020, http://ow.ly/elGu50Cwuyw
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