Central Florida Congressman Darren Soto was recently joined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Mae Wu in announcing a $188.3 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the Toho Water Authority.
With this WIFIA loan, the authority will modernize water infrastructure in Osceola County and Polk County to help ensure a resilient water supply for over 450,000 residents.
“We are excited to announce that the Toho Water Authority has been awarded a major $188,290,418 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Representative Soto, a Democrat. “This critical federal funding will protect clean water, preserve our environment, and ensure sufficient water supply for our growing community. We are grateful to the U.S. EPA for their partnership and support in securing this impactful investment in Central Florida’s water future.”
The U.S. EPA’s WIFIA program will support Toho Water Authority’s One Water Program, which aims to ensure clean, safe drinking water for Central Florida, a region that projects continued growth and increases in demand for water. The program reduces reliance on fresh groundwater supplies by increasing the use of potable and non-potable water supplies. With this WIFIA loan, the authority plans to expand multiple water treatment facilities and install a series of water main and pump stations. It will also protect the environment by reducing effluent discharges and help meet the requirements of the state’s Central Florida Water Initiative rule.
“Investing in our water infrastructure is one of the best ways to support healthy, thriving communities. I congratulate the Toho Water Authority for securing this $188.3 million low-interest federal loan that will support public health and environmental protection, population growth, and economic opportunity here in Central Florida,” said U.S. EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Mae Wu. “Through this loan program and unprecedented funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris Administration is investing in America to strengthen drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating good-paying jobs.”
This $188.3 million loan is part of a master agreement between the U.S. EPA and the Toho Water Authority that will commit $292 million in WIFIA assistance to the authority for the One Water Program. The U.S. EPA’s low-interest WIFIA loan will save the authority $47 million. Project construction and operation will create approximately 1,750 jobs.
Toho Water Authority previously received a $40 million WIFIA to help finance the Kissimmee Accelerated Gravity and Sewer Assessment and Rehabilitation Project, which is nearing completion.
“This loan will fund several key upgrades and expansions to the Tohopekaliga water infrastructure, including expanding multiple water treatment facilities and installing a series of water main and pump stations, which will reduce the communities’ reliance on the Upper Floridian aquifer’s supplies and improving the drinking water distribution system for this growing population,” said César Zapata, Acting Region 4 Deputy Administrator. “These improvements are not only about replacing outdated systems but also about implementing cutting-edge technologies that will enhance water quality, increase system resilience, and reduce operational costs. This means cleaner, more reliable water for residents of Polk and Osceola Counties and a stronger, more sustainable infrastructure for the future.”
“As Toho nears completion of our $80 million dollar plus Accelerated Gravity Sewer Replacement Program made possible by our first WIFIA loan, we now embark on our Toho One Water Initiative and say thank you. Thank you to Congress for creating and continuing to fund WIFIA, providing an essential financing tool for the water sector. Thank you to our Florida delegation including Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and Congressman Darren Soto for your service in Washington and your continued support of Toho. Thank you to the WIFIA staff for your partnership throughout the review and closing process,” said CEO/Executive Director of the Toho Water Authority Todd Swingle. “Supported by this WIFIA financing, Toho’s One Water Initiative will deliver a portfolio of water projects to responsibly serve our rapidly growing Central Florida community in the years and decades to come.”
Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan program administered by the U.S. EPA. The WIFIA program aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.
Since its creation, the U.S. EPA’s WIFIA program has announced over $20 billion in financing to support $44 billion in water infrastructure projects that are strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating approximately 150,000 jobs.
The U.S. EPA is currently in its seventh selection round for WIFIA financing. In this round, the U.S. EPA is offering $6.5 billion through WIFIA, and $1 billion through SWIFIA, which is a loan program exclusively for state infrastructure financing authority borrowers. The U.S. EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and SWIFIA loans.
In addition to WIFIA loans, there are many federal funding resources available for communities and utilities to improve vital water and wastewater resources. President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness.
