Archive for December, 2021

Fishers Island Water Works Corporation: Water Infrastructure Financing

By Tom Siebens
Director, Fishers Island Water Works Corporation
December 20, 2021

Fishers Island Water Works has been invited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to apply for an infrastructure loan under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014.  The invitation follows from the EPA’s review of a letter of interest filed by the company in July 2021.

If the application is successful, the loan could finance up to 80% of the estimated $16 million cost to replace 7.75 miles of old transmission mains and associated hydrants and to modernize the surface water filtration plant at Barlow Pond.  These are the most critical components of the island’s network for ensuring potable water distribution and emergency fire flows.

WIFIA loans are low-interest, fixed-rate, and long-term, up to 35 years, with possibilities for deferred repayment.  These are very favorable terms for a small community water system and help mitigate the increases in water rates necessary to support water infrastructure renovation.

Loans under WIFIA are funded by Congressional appropriations and administered by the EPA.  Fishers Island is one of 39 new projects around the country announced by the EPA on December 3, 2021, as being selected to apply for a loan under the 2021 round of WIFIA funding.

Chris Finan, president of Fishers Island Water Works, identified the WIFIA program early this year as a potential source of financing.  The company will continue to look for potential funding under federal and state programs, including the infrastructure bill recently passed by Congress.  However, most of those programs target acute problems that Fishers Island does not face, such as deficient sewage treatment, poor potable water sources, lead water pipes, and sub-standard water systems in deprived communities.

The WIFIA loan application process will be demanding.  The EPA will require compliance with a variety of federal requirements, including an environmental impact assessment.  Support will be needed from the Suffolk County Department of Health.  Fishers Island Water Works will have to demonstrate the project’s economic feasibility based on water surcharges that fairly allocate the cost of the financing.  The New York State Public Service Commission will have to approve any proposed schedule of surcharges.

Despite the effort required, Fishers Island Water Works views a potential WIFA loan as an opportunity worth pursuing as part of addressing the island’s biggest infrastructure challenge.

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This is the third in a series of articles about the renovation of the water distribution infrastructure on Fishers Island. See Fog Horn, January and February 2020

 About us:  Fishers Island Water Works Corporation provides water services on Fishers Island, New York.  It is owned by Fishers Island Utility Company, Inc. and Fishers Island Development Corporation and is regulated by the New York State Public Service Commission.

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FI Telephone: Long Distance circuits upgrade maintenance

The Fishers Island Long Distance circuits will be undergoing upgrade maintenance on Monday night, Tuesday Morning as follows:

  • Date: Tuesday Morning, 14 December 2021
  • Time: Midnight:01am EST through 05:00am EST
  • Impact: During this period, Fishers Island Telephone subscribers that have Fishers Island Long Distance may experience the following:
    • Unable to make long distance or international calls
    • Calls in progress may be dropped
    • Call quality is suffering
    • Noise on the line
  • It is highly possible that there will be Zero impact as we work with our redundant configurations.
  • 911 emergency services will not be affected
  • The internet will not be affected
  • Inbound calls to Fishers Island subscribers will not be affected.

If you have any questions regarding this upgrade maintenance, please contact Fishers Island Telephone at fitcinfo@fiuc.net.

Stay tuned for updates on the new Fiber Optic Network to the Home that is in the final stages of design.

Steve Head
Telecom Superintendent
Fishers Island Telephone Corporation
+1-631-788-7001 x4
fitcinfo@fiuc.net
161 Oriental Ave
P.O. Box 604
Fishers Island, NY   06390

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FI Water Company is one of 39 invited by EPA to apply for water infrastructure loans

EPA invites 39 new projects to apply for water infrastructure loans

Projects will help modernize water infrastructure for 25 million Americans while creating up to 49,000 jobs.

Dec. 3, 2021
https://www.waterworld.com

Article on Waterworld.com

WASHINGTON —  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 39 new projects are being invited to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans and 4 projects are being added to a waitlist. The agency anticipates that, as funds become available, $6.7 billion in WIFIA loans will help finance over $15 billion in water infrastructure projects to protect public health and water quality across 24 states.

“Far too many communities still face significant water challenges, making these transformative investments in water infrastructure so crucial,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The WIFIA invited projects will deliver major benefits like the creation of good-paying jobs and the safeguarding of public health, especially in underserved and under-resourced communities. This program is a shining example of the public health and economic opportunities that will be achieved under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

EPA’s WIFIA program will provide selected borrowers with innovative financing tools to address pressing public health and environmental challenges in their communities. Consistent with its announced priorities, the WIFIA program is making $1.2 billion in loans available to support infrastructure needs in historically underserved communities. Additionally, 14 projects will help protect infrastructure from the impacts of extreme weather events and the climate crisis. New and innovative approaches, including cybersecurity, green infrastructure, and water reuse, are included in 24 projects.

By diversifying its geographic reach and the types of selected borrowers, the WIFIA program will also expand the types of projects it supports. For the first time, entities in Connecticut, Delaware, and Hawaii are invited to apply. Three small communities, with populations of 25,000 or less, are selected for WIFIA loans totaling nearly $62 million. In addition, seven projects submitted by private borrowers and public-private partnerships totaling over $1.5 billion in WIFIA financing are included.

EPA is also inviting state agencies in Indiana and New Jersey to apply for a total of $472 million in WIFIA loans through EPA’s state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. EPA’s SWIFIA loans are available exclusively to state infrastructure financing authority borrowers, commonly known as State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs, and will allow these programs to finance more infrastructure projects in their states. These programs will combine state resources, annual capitalization grants, and the low-cost, flexible SWIFIA loans to accelerate investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure to modernize aging systems and tackle new contaminants.

WIFIA Invited Projects include:

  • Baltimore City Department of Public Works (Md.): $36 million for the Water Infrastructure Advancement 2021 project.
  • Charlotte Water (N.C.): $169 million for the Mallard Creek Sewer Basin Wastewater Collection and Treatment Improvements Program.
  • City of Ashland (Ore.): $36 million for a 7.0 Million Gallons per Day Water Treatment Plant.
  • City of Bellingham (Wash.): $136 million for the Post Point Resource Recovery Plant Biosolids Project.
  • City of Boise (Idaho): $272 million for Water Renewal Services Capital Investments Projects.
  • City of Chattanooga (Tenn.): $186 million for Wastewater Compliance and Sustainability Projects.
  • City of Cortland (N.Y.): $12 million for the Homer Avenue Gateway Project.
  • City of Memphis (Tenn.): $44 million for Stormwater Upgrades.
  • City of Oregon City (Ore.): $12 million for Water Rehabilitation, Resiliency and Improvement Projects.
  • City of Philadelphia (Pa.): $260 million for the Water Department 2021 project.
  • City of Port Washington (Wis.): $12 million for the Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project.
  • City of Santa Cruz (Calif.): $164 million for the Santa Cruz Water Program.
  • City of Westminster (Colo.): $130 million for the Water2025 project.
  • City of Wichita (Kan.): $181 million for the Wastewater Reclamation Facilities Biological Nutrient Removal Improvements Project.
  • County of Hawaii (Hawaii): $24 million for Hawaii Wastewater Treatment Upgrades.
  • EPCOR Foothills Water Project Inc. (Ore.): $76 million for the Lake Oswego Wastewater Treatment Replacement Project.
  • Fishers Island Water Works Corporation (N.Y.): $14 million for Water System Improvements.
  • Gainesville Regional Utilities (Fla.): $14 million for the Sanitary Sewer Replacement and Improvement Project.
  • Helix Water District (Calif.): $16 million for the Drinking Water Reliability Project.
  • King County (Wash.): $287 million Master Agreement.
  • Marin Municipal Water District (Calif.): $11 million for Marin Water.
  • Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) (Mo.): $278 million for MSD Project Clear – Deer Creek Watershed / Lemay Service Area System Improvements.
  • Metro Water Services (Tenn.): $186 million for the Process Advancements at Omohundro and K.R. Harrington Water Treatment Plants Project.
  • Narragansett Bay Commission (R.I.): $28 million for Field’s Point Resiliency Improvements.
  • New Castle County (Del.): $32 million for the Christina River Force Main Rehabilitation Project.
  • Project 7 Water Authority (Colo.): $39 million for the Ridgway Water Treatment Plant.
  • Rialto Water Service LLC (Calif.): $68 million for Microgrid and System Improvements.
  • San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (Calif.): $618 million for Wastewater Capital Plan Resilience Projects.
  • Santa Clara Valley Water District (Calif.): $575 million for the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project.
  • Santa Clara Valley Water District (Calif.): $80 million for the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program.
  • Santa Margarita Water District (Calif.): $22 million for Recycled Water Conversion.
  • Sharyland Water Supply Corporation (Texas): $14 million for Sharyland Water Supply Corporation Water System Infrastructure Improvements.
  • South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (Conn.): $20 million for Lake Whitney Dam and Spillway Improvements.
  • Tualatin Valley Water District (Ore.): $16 million for the Water System Upgrades Program.
  • United Water Conservation District (Calif.): $52 million for the Santa Felicia Safety Improvement Project.
  • Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Infrastructure Financing Authority (Calif.): $177 million for the Watershed Connect project.
  • Village of New Lenox (Ill.): $70 million for Phase 1 Improvements projects.

Waitlist Projects were also announced, and include:

  • American Infrastructure Holdings (S.D.): $20 million for the Sioux City Biosolids to Fertilizer Project.
  • Lake Restoration Solutions, LLC (Utah): $893 million for the Utah Lake Restoration Project.
  • Northern Water (Colo.): $464 million for the Northern Integrated Supply Project – Glade Reservoir Complex.
  • Southland Water Agency (Ill.): $479 million for the Southland Water Agency Infrastructure System.

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