Shelby Review

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) issued four low-interest loans recently, helping the organization cross the $5 billion mark in provided loans since 1989, according to MI Newswire.

The most recent loans totaled $20.9 million as the CWSRF continues to assist Michigan neighborhoods to pay for the unavoidable cost of water treatments and related systems. The loans have been in place to help utilities lower rates for everyday consumers. 

The recipients of the newest loans are: Escanaba in Delta County with $14 million for wastewater treatment plant developments, Chocolay Charter Township in Marquette County with $3.5 million to replace a pump station, and Owosso in Shiawassee County, which received two loans -- one for $2,145,000 for wastewater treatment plant advances and $1,285,000 for sewer construction. 

More than 600 communities in 61 of Michigan’s 83 counties have been awarded with CWSRF loans throughout the lifetime of the organization. CWSRF loans also help equal out the $800 million gap in water and sewer funding that the state has each year. 

While the latest handful of loans helped the organization cross a major milestone, the largest loan awarded since its inception was to Detroit for $167.5 million back in 2007. Conversely, one of Detroit’s neighboring cities, Ann Arbor, was given the smallest award to date of $55,000 in 2011. 

Marquette has also been a notable recipient of the loan through the years. Curt Goodman, the director of municipal utilities for Marquette said, according to MI Newswire, “The City of Marquette has participated in the CWSRF program since 2002. The program has provided $22,546,000 in funding to complete much-needed infrastructure improvement projects to protect the state’s waters.”

Chief Deputy of Washtenaw County Water Resources Harry Sheehan also touted the awards the county has received. 

He said, according to MI Newswire, “The Washtenaw County Water Resources Office has financed over $20 million since the program was opened up to nonpoint source projects. The program has provided a consistently reliable financing mechanism focused on water quality treatment and protection. We are seeing quantifiable results in macroinvertebrate populations in storm and streamflow response during storm events.”