INFORMATION/BACKGROUND: Each federal fiscal year, US EPA makes funds (as grants) available to states for the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, a low interest loan program designed to finance drinking water system improvements needed to maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Oregon's grant request process begins by identifying and collecting information about current Oregon drinking water system project improvement needs. To collect that information, the Letter of Interest form was created. All projects identified with a Letter of Interest form will be used to create a list of drinking water system needs. That list of projects and estimated project financing is submitted to the EPA in Oregon's grant request to show how Oregon intends to use its grant allotment for that year. Only projects identified by aLetter of Interestsubmitted in this way are financed by the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A LOAN: Community and nonprofit non-community water systems are eligible.
WHAT KINDS OF PROJECTS ARE ELIGIBLE: Projects may be to plan, design, or construct drinking water facilities needed to maintain compliance with the current and future standards and to further public health protection goals of the Safe Drinking Water Act and Oregon's Drinking Water Quality Act.
Anti-Terrorism: Projects can include the cost to add or improve security measures to protect drinking water facilities.
Source Water Protection: Community water systems are eligible for loans up to $100,000 for source water protection measures to carry out elements of a Source Water Protection Management Plan.
WHAT TO DO: If you have a drinking water project for which you think you may need financing, download the Program Guidelines and Applicant's Handbook which includes the Project Rating Criteria and the Letter of Interest. Instructions for completing the Letter of Interest are included. Additional help is available by calling the Drinking Water Program (971) 673-0422 or Economic and Community Development Department (503) 986-0123.
OREGON SAFE DRINKING WATER REVOLVING LOAN FUND PROJECT PRIORITY LIST
Each project on the List is shown in rank order for funding purposes. A line is drawn at that point on each List where available loan dollars coincides with the cumulative loan amount requested by water systems. New projects are added annually to the List based upon points. To get on the Project Priority List, a water system must submit a Letter of Interest.
A project submitted on a Letter of Interest is put on the Project Priority List for 2 years. After 2 years, a project is removed from the List unless the water system resubmits an updated Letter of Interest.
Each water system above the line, "------------", was advised by Oregon Economic and Community Development Department that it has 1 year to submit a complete loan application to get its loan. Each water system below the line must wait until the line drops to include its project. The line will only move through the list of projects when a water system above the line advises Oregon Economic and Community Development Department it either no longer needs the SDWRLF loan, or a full year passes without submitting a loan application. The funding line will move through a List from time to time, making more water systems on each List eligible to submit a loan application.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS HANDBOOK (pdf) (33.9KB)
This handbook is the reference manual of policies and procedures for the Health Services's review of environmental impacts created by the construction of drinking water facilities funded wholly or in part by the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.
If you have a question about any Project Priority List, about a funding line on any List, or about how to get a loan from the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, please call the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department at (503) 986-0123, or the Drinking Water Program at (971) 673-0422.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CIRCUIT RIDERS Through the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, contracts have been established with drinking water circuit riders to provide on-site technical services to community water systems with populations under 10,000. This technical assistance service is offered at no cost to water systems.
For communities using surface water or groundwater, the circuit rider is HBH Consulting Engineers, Inc. To contact the circuit rider, you can telephone Robert Bynum at (541) 266-0355, toll free at 1-866-266-0555, or send an e-mail to him at rbynum@hbh-consulting.com. For the Sherwood office of HBH, call Robert Henry at (503) 625-8065 or email him at rhenry@hbh-consulting.com
More information about the SDWRLF can be found at the "Oregon Economic and Community Development Department" website. OECDD
Page updated: March 05, 2008
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