April 2, 2009 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will send nearly $40 million to Nebraska to fund water quality protection, wastewater treatment and water system infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 0f 2009 (ARRA).
 
“Water is a perennial issue here in Nebraska and the rest of the western U.S.,” said Senator Nelson. “This funding will not only create jobs in construction and water treatment facilities, but it will also drive innovation in green technologies and improve water system efficiency to provide safe drinking water.”
 
This money will go to the appropriate administrative agencies in the state who will then work with those communities who have identified a need to finance water infrastructure improvements they could not otherwise afford.  The state will coordinate with the applying locality to develop the terms of the loan and grant monies dedicated to each project.  The ARRA requires each state to use at least 50% of this funding as grants and principal forgiveness to further aid localities as they pursue important safety upgrades to their drinking and waste water systems.
 
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund program provides low interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management.
 
The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program provides low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. The program also emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and to programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water. 
 
As the name implies, these funds are used as part of a revolving loan fund so that this money is not just used one time but rather, much of this investment will be repaid and recycled many times over to allow for dozens of projects to be financed throughout the state.
 
  The State of Nebraska has already identified the following projects for the use of these funds:
 
  Wastewater upgrades:

• Ainsworth will install a new ultra violet (UV) disinfection system at a wastewater treatment facility.
• Broken Bow will use funding to build a new mechanical wastewater treatment facility and upgrade existing pumping stations.
• Cedar Bluffs will use funds to build a complete retention lagoon wastewater treatment facility that replaces a mechanical treatment plant.
• Chadron will use funding to build a new mechanical treatment facility to replace an inadequate lagoon system.
• Coleridge will install a new UV disinfection system and upgrade a wastewater treatment facility.
• Dorchester will build a complete retention lagoon wastewater treatment facility that replaces an old mechanical treatment plant.
• Gothenburg will expand sewer capacity.
• Lincoln will conduct two projects including sewer repairs and construction to provide sewer service to new areas. A second project will renovate an existing wastewater treatment facility to improve efficiency.
• Malcolm will replace old mechanical treatment plan with a new mechanical wastewater treatment facility.
• Oakland will construct a new mechanical wastewater treatment facility to replace an old mechanical treatment plant.
• Omaha receives funding for two projects. The first is to design and build infrastructure to separate storm water and sanitary sewer flows. The second renovates an existing wastewater treatment facility and increase treatment capacity.
• Scottsbluff will renovate and modify existing wastewater treatment facilities.
• Sidney will upgrade and replace parts of an existing mechanical wastewater treatment facility.
• South Sioux City will build a new wastewater pumping station, force main and gravity sewer.
• Tekamah will construct an additional lagoon cell and land application system.
• Western will add a new UV disinfection system and make upgrades to a wastewater treatment facility.

  Drinking water projects:

• Alliance will construct new wells or a water treatment plant to remedy an arsenic issue.
• Auburn will construct a new water treatment plant, wells and a transmission main to remedy potential ground water under the direct influence of surface water issue.
• Bayard will replace existing and install new water meters.
• Bennet will replace existing water mains.
• Bridgeport will construct new wells or water treatment plant to remedy uranium issue.
• Friend will construct a new well to remedy a nitrate issue and replace undersized water mains.
• Gresham will construct a new well to remedy a nitrate issue.
• Hickman will construct new water treatment plant and replace water mains to remedy iron, manganese and coliform issues.
• North Platte will construct a new well field and transmission mains to remedy a uranium issue.
• Omaha will construct a new contact basin to remedy a ground water under the direct influence of surface water issue.
• Pleasant Dale will construct a new well or water treatment to remedy a nitrate issue.
• Schuyler will construct new wells to remedy uranium and nitrate issues.
• Stuart will construct a new well to supply a proposed rural water district to remedy nitrate issue.
• Sutherland will construct a new well field and transmission mains to remedy nitrate and uranium issues.
• Wymore will construct new wells or a water treatment plant to remedy ground water under the direct influence of surface water issue.
• York will construct a new well field and transmission mains to remedy nitrate issues and improve the local distribution system.

Senator Nelson played a key role in the passage of the $787 billion stimulus bill. He worked with a bipartisan group of nearly 20 Senators to better focus The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on tax cuts for the middle class and job creation for millions of Americans. Senator Nelson led the group through the initial bill line by line, dollar by dollar, to reduce spending and cut out $108 billion of inefficient or less-stimulative spending. The bipartisan group helped the improved bill win congressional approval. President Obama signed it into law February 17, 2009.
   
Senator Nelson is posting information about the release of stimulus finds on his website as it becomes available.  Visit http://bennelson.senate.gov/issues/stimulus/index.cfm for more information.

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