The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has awarded $1,501,280 in low-interest wastewater emerging contaminant construction loan funding to the City of Lewiston.
The funding will be used to complete an environmental review and address PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals by installing additional water mains for the East Orchards neighborhood and converting homes from septic to a public wastewater treatment plant.
The loan is from DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund and capitalized annually by grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Emerging Contaminants program, which is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The loan carries a simple 0% interest rate and $1,501,280 in principal forgiveness. The favorable loan terms represent $2,808,964 in savings to the community when compared to average costs for municipal general obligation debt issuances.
