Funding Opportunities for Sewer, Stormwater and Drinking Water Infrastructure Office of the State Comptroller Webinar.

Transcription

1 Funding Opportunities for Sewer, Stormwater and Drinking Water Infrastructure Office of the State Comptroller Webinar March 25, 2015

2 Environmental Facilities Corporation Overview Public benefit corporation dedicated to promoting environmental quality through a wide range of funding & technical assistance programs focused on protecting, improving and restoring New York s water resources Provides low-cost financial assistance for local wastewater and drinking water infrastructure through Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan programs Consistently leads the nation in financing of water quality infrastructure Award-winning and nationally recognized green grant program

3 State Revolving Fund Summary

4 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Provides low-cost loans for wastewater and water quality infrastructure A variety of publicly-owned water quality improvement projects are eligible for low-interest loans including: Point Source Projects (wastewater treatment/collection) Nonpoint Source Projects (stormwater management, green infrastructure, landfill closures, decentralized wastewater) National Estuary Projects (habitat restoration projects in NY/NJ Harbor & Estuary, Long Island Sound, Peconic Bay Estuaries)

5 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Provides low-cost loans for public and private drinking water infrastructure A variety of public and private water system projects are eligible for low-interest loans including: Treatment Plants Distribution Mains Storage Facilities Administered by EFC and NYS Department of Health

6 Funding the SRF Loan Program New York s Sewer and Water Infrastructure Bank Federal government grants are used to capitalize SRF programs, along with state matching funds (equal to 20 percent) SRF loans revolve - each year, money is loaned to communities and as loans are repaid, they recycle back into the SRF program to fund additional water quality protection projects FFY 2015 Federal Budget National New York State Match Funding Available to Capitalize SRF Clean Water $1.449 Billion $155 Million $31 Million $186 Million Drinking Water $906 Million $42.4 Million $8.4 Million $50.8 Million

7 Financing Rates July 2014 CW Leveraged Rate Financing (up to 30 years) DW Leveraged Rate Financing (up to 30 years) Hardship Financing as low as Short-Term Financing as low as (up to 30 years) (up to 5 years) Short-Term Market-Rate Financing Long-Term Market-Rate Financing

8 New York s Sewer and Drinking Water Infrastructure Backbone of our communities Retains and attracts business and industry Foundation of economic development Protects water resources Provides better place to live and play

9 Modernizing EFC s Business Model In 2011, EFC took advantage of lower interest-rates and began an aggressive refinancing program In , EFC implemented a new business model to advance clean water shovel-ready projects In FFY 2014, EFC broke a single-year record with more than $2.3 billion in direct financings and refinancings for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure In 2015, EFC implemented new procedures to jumpstart vital sewer projects

10 New Hardship Policy for Clean Water Financing Interest-free loans for sewer projects now available to qualifying communities with populations under 300,000 and Median Household Income below $55, local governments eligible in New York State $25 million total project cost cap: up to $18 million eligible for zero-interest loans

11 Applying for a SRF Loan A municipality must first: Complete a project listing form Submit approvable engineering plan/ technical report with related analysis Identify specific wastewater or drinking water issue Present alternative methods of remediation Provide cost estimates for project and anticipated construction schedule Submit a Smart Growth Assessment Form

12 CW/DW Annual Intended Use Plan Annual Intended Use Plan describes the SRF programs, identifies available funds and the use of those funds (effective October 1 st through September 30 th ) EFC/DOH assigns a project priority score based on water quality and public health impacts Project ranking dictates the type of available financial assistance for the community Only projects on the Annual List can receive financial assistance in FFY 2016 Multi-Year Project Priority List

13 Submitting a Financing Application Complete environmental impact reviews (SEQR/SHPO) Create sewer or water district (if applicable) Pass local bond resolutions Executed contract for engineering planning services (only CWSRF)

14 Next Steps Upon submission of a financing application, EFC/DOH will work with the applicant to advance the project towards a loan closing Throughout planning, design and construction of wastewater or drinking water project, EFC/DOH will work with the municipality to: update budgets to reflect current costs coordinate submission and review of contracts process disbursement requests

15 Deadlines for CWSRF IUP & Financing April 1, 2015 April 2015 Upcoming Clean Water Deadlines Deadline to submit Hardship Applications for inclusion in Category D of FFY 2016 IUP Project Listing Updates for FFY 2016 Draft IUP September 30, 2015 October 1, 2015 March 2, 2016 End of FFY 2015 IUP Financing Period FFY 2016 IUP Effective Date Deadline to submit Financing Applications and Hardship Applications (Category D) for all projects seeking financial assistance in FFY 2016 IUP

16 Deadlines for DWSRF IUP & Financing Upcoming Drinking Water Deadlines May 15, 2015 September 30, 2015 October 1, 2015 December 1, 2015 March 2, 2016 Deadline to submit new listing forms for inclusion in FFY 2016 Draft IUP End of FFY 2015 IUP Financing Period FFY 2016 IUP Effective Date Deadline to submit Hardship Applications for projects pursuing grants in the FFY 2016 IUP Financing Applications due for all projects seeking subsidized financing in FFY 2016 IUP

17 Additional SRF Programs and Services

18 SRF Program Assistance Co-Funding Partnerships REDC Grant Opportunities

19 Co-Funding Partnerships NYS EFC and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Clean Water State Revolving Fund CWSRF Wastewater Engineering Planning Grants NYS EFC and NYS Department of Health Drinking Water State Revolving Fund USDA Rural Development Water Environment Program NYS Office of Community Renewal Community Development Block Grant Program NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Water Quality Improvement Project Grant Program NYS Department of State Local Government Efficiency Grant Program Appalachian Regional Commission Area Development Grant Program

20 Wastewater Engineering Planning Grants Up to $50,000 per locality to develop engineering reports to apply for funding and list projects on the CWSRF IUP Administered by DEC and EFC After 3 rounds, $4.8 million allocated to 166 engineering and environmental review projects across New York Funding for 2015: $2 million

21 Engineering Planning Grant Eligibility Criteria Limit of one project per municipality per round Criteria for 2015 is currently being finalized 2014 Eligibility Criteria MHI <65,000 Population <50,000 >50,000 Local Match 20% 20% Award Up To $30,000 $50,000

22 EPG Map CWSRF Financings by County with Engineering Planning Grant Awards

23 Green Innovation Grant Program Projects focused on green, wet weather infrastructure Highly competitive, award-winning grant program No cap - up to 90% funding for eligible project costs After 6 rounds - $115.3 million allocated to 153 green projects across New York Funding available for 2015

24 GIGP Goals Protect and improve water quality Spur innovation Build green capacity locally and beyond Facilitate the transfer of new technologies and practices to other areas of the State

25 Practices Eligible for GIGP Funding Permeable Pavement Bioretention and Rain Gardens Downspout Disconnection Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Green Roofs and Green Walls Street Trees and Urban Forestry Programs Construction/Restoration of Wetlands, Floodplains, and Riparian Buffers Stream Daylighting

26 1. Permeable Pavement Porous asphalt Porous concrete Concrete unit pavers Reinforced turf

27 2. Bioretention and Rain Gardens Rain Gardens Bioinfiltration Basins Biofilters Bioswales Recharge Gardens Bioretention systems are effective at removing pollutants and reducing stormwater runoff

28 3. Downspout Disconnection Significant water quality benefits can be achieved, particularly if a neighborhood-wide program is adopted

29 4. Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Rain Barrels Typically used in residential settings, that collect runoff from rooftops Cisterns Large-scale storage tanks used in commercial and industrial settings

30 5. Green Roofs and Green Walls

31 6. Urban Street Trees/Urban Forestry Programs Stormwater Street Trees Improve water quality and save energy through shading Urban Forestry Programs Allow large-scale management of the urban tree canopy

32 7. Construction/Restoration of Wetlands, Floodplains and Riparian Buffers CASE STUDY: Wetland Restoration in the NY Susquehanna River Basin New York Counties: Cortland Schuyler Steuben Tioga Tompkins

33 8. Stream Daylighting Saw Mill River being buried in the 1920s GIGP-Funded Daylighting of the Saw Mill River Stream Daylighting is the removal of natural streams from artificial pipes and culverts to restore a natural stream morphology

34 EFC Technical Support Application Assistance Legal, Engineering, Financial Expertise Individual Project Consultations On-Site Visits Community Assistance Program

35 Timothy P. Burns, P.E. Director of Engineering and Program Management Brian Gyory, RLA Green Infrastructure Analyst Financing for a Sustainable Future w w w. e f c. n y. g o v