St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (MPFA) today announced over $60.3 million in loans and grants awarded to 17 wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects throughout the state.

MPFA awards funds to help cities build public infrastructure that protects the environment and public health, promoting economic growth. Since its inception in 1987, MPFA has financed nearly $6.1 billion in public infrastructure projects, impacting most every community in Minnesota.

"Funding from MPFA is a vital resource for many towns across the state, and an investment with an impact felt long after project completion," said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek, chair of the MPFA. "Meeting Minnesota's universal need for clean, drinkable, accessible water is a key step in empowering Minnesota's economy for all and will continue to be a priority as we ensure our communities are able to flourish."

"The work done by the MPFA is integral to the health, safety and wellbeing of Minnesotans across the state," said DEED Deputy Commissioner Kevin McKinnon. "And therefore, it is integral to our mission as well. The infrastructure they create and the service they provide will continue to protect the health of our communities and supply clean water for years to come."

The MPFA administers and oversees the financial management of revolving loan funds and other programs that help local units of government build facilities for clean water, drinking water and transportation infrastructure projects. Funding for these projects primarily comes from the MPFA's Clean Water Revolving Fund (CWRF) and the Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF). The CWRF helps communities build or upgrade wastewater treatment plants to comply with discharge standards in the federal Clean Water Act, and the DWRF helps communities build drinking water storage, treatment and distribution systems that comply with standards in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Projects can also receive funding from MPFA's Point Source Implementation Grant program, Water Infrastructure Fund and Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program. In some cases, funding can be provided by specials state appropriations, the USDA Office of Rural Development and local sources.

Projects and MPFA funding amounts listed below. Funding details for each project are available on the MPFA website.

Braham, $10,227,000

Upgrades to a wastewater treatment plant, improvements to collection and watermain systems and well replacement.

Browerville, $5,682,164

Funding for two projects, one to replace an aging sanitary sewer in the Creamery Avenue area, the other to replace aged and deteriorated portions of the existing water distribution system and watermain looping in the Creamery Avenue North area.

Danube, $4,538,000

Construction of a new drinking water treatment plant and wells.

Duluth, $8,116,359

Construction of a new drinking water booster station to replace the existing Woodland booster station.

Ellsworth, $1,926,000

Created a connection from the City of Ellsworth to the Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water system.

Eveleth, $779,946

Installation of approximately 1,200 drinking water meters and associated equipment.

Lake Lillian, $3,999,000

Replacement of watermains, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and rehabilitation of the water tower and streets.

La Salle, $151,000

Watermain looping within the city of La Salle.

Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water District, $5,750,000

Predesign, design and construction of a water source development, including new wells, a water softening treatment plant (lime softening) and new water distribution pipes.

Little Falls, $1,745,520

Installation of replacement watermain along 4th Street Northeast from Broadway to 9th Avenue Northeast.

Mendota, $650,000

Improvements to Mendota's drinking water system.

Minneota, $3,841,227

Funding for two projects, one to replace sanitary sewer collection lines along Grant, Lyon and Main streets, and lift station improvements; the other to replace aging drinking watermains along the same streets.

Morristown, $1,500,000

Improvements to watermains, storm sewer collection, streets and other infrastructure.

Ramsey, $3,200,000

Construction of a trunk watermain and new water treatment facility to remove manganese and iron from the city's water supply.

Swanville, $3,052,000

Design, construction, engineering and equipment for a water storage tank, new wells, water meters an7d watermain replacement and looping.

Watertown, $3,000,000

Construction of a 750,000-gallon elevated water storage tank and associated improvements.

Wells, $2,212,909

Phase 1 and 2 of a project to reconstruct the sanitary sewer on 6th Avenue Northwest, 5th Avenue Southwest, 5th Avenue Northwest and Broadway.