George F. Ames



Recognition Program

www.epa.gov






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TABLE OF
CONTENTS

Director's Address	1

Recognizing Exceptional Success	2

Washington (Creative Solutions)	3

West Virginia (Environmental and Public Health)	4

South Carolina (System Partnerships)	5

Delaware (Community Engagement)	6

Ohio (Innovative Financing)	7

Recognized Projects	8

New Hampshire	8

New Jersey	8

New York	9

Maryland	9

Pennsylvania	10

Virginia	10

Indiana	11

Michigan	11

Arkansas	12

Louisiana	12

New Mexico	13

Oklahoma	13

Texas	14

Missouri	14

Colorado	15

Cover photo credit: City of Ripley Sanitary Board

PISCES 2023 Recognition Program


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DIRECTOR'S
ADDRESS

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) is proud to
recognize clean water projects that demonstrate excellence
through the George F. Ames Performance and Innovation in the
SRF Creating Environmental Success (PISCES) program. These
projects promote EPA's mission of protecting human health
and the environment and exemplify the innovative, flexible,
and collaborative nature of the program. This year, we received
PISCES nominations covering a wide variety of project types
from 20 state CWSRF programs. These projects demonstrate
leadership in innovative financing, system partnerships,
community engagement, public health protection, and creative
solutions.

New this year, to align with EPA's FY 2022-FY 2026 Strategic
Plan, is an overall emphasis on projects that incorporate eligible activities to adapt to the
impacts of climate change and increase climate resiliency in communities. CWSRF financing
helps communities afford solutions that are innovative, modern, water and energy efficient,
sustainable, and resilient to their water quality challenges in a changing climate. By working
creatively with the future in mind, these communities have created lasting benefits for not only
the environment, but for public health and the economy as well.

I congratulate all the assistance recipients recognized in this compendium, and I thank the
CWSRF programs that highlighted them for recognition. We appreciate your dedication to
ensuring water quality in our communities and as well as your commitment to the continuing
success of this crucial program.

Andrew Sawyers, Ph.D., Director
Office of Wastewater Management


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RECOGNIZING
EXCEPTIONAL SUCCESS

•	System Partnerships: Creates a
partnership that brings together
stakeholder groups and resources
to create a collaborative approach to
addressing water quality needs.

•	Community Engagement: Involves the
community during the project design
or includes a project element that
encourages community engagement.

•	Environmental and Public Health
Protection: Employs a sophisticated
approach to addressing water quality.
These projects may include preemptive
treatments, reduction in capacity loading,
use of new technologies, or other aspects
that focus on innovative design.

•	Creative Solutions: Uses an
unconventional approach in meeting the
community's needs.

The CWSRF George F. Ames PISCES
Recognition Program nationally recognizes
CWSRF-funded projects for their exceptional
focus on the environment and public health.
These projects are examples of the high level
of innovation possible with the CWSRF.

Participating states in this voluntary
recognition program nominated one
CWSRF project during the 2023 round.
Nominations were based on the following
criteria categories EPA selected one project
from each category to be recognized as an
Exceptional Project based on the project's
overall impact in the category.

• Innovative Financing: Uses a creative
financing mechanism that aligns with
the needs of the community.

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Photo credit: Spokane Conservation District

Creative Solutions

Washington State Department of Ecology

Project Name: Farmed Smart Certification & Direct Seed Loan Implementation Program
Assistance Recipient: Spokane Conservation District

The Spokane Conservation District is tackling nonpoint source water quality issues in Eastern
Washington through partnerships with local agricultural producers. The Spokane Conservation
District received $3 million in CWSRF loans to implement a Direct Seed Loan Implementation
Program and nearly $475,000 in state grant funds to implement their Farmed Smart Certification
program and direct seed cost-share. These programs aim to improve water quality through
reductions in sedimentation, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and nutrients in the dry-land
production agriculture regions within Washington State with an emphasis on the Spokane
River and Palouse River Watersheds. Farmed Smart is an environmental conservation on-farm
certification program that was developed to differentiate agricultural producers that are willing
to adopt conservation practices on their land. The Washington State Department of Ecology
recognizes certified producers with a letter, stating that they meet water quality requirements
with their farming practices. Through Farmed Smart, six agricultural producers received
certification to regenerative soil health practices. Two producers utilized direct seed cost-share
on a total of 1,135 acres acres, preventing the runoff of an estimated 7,000 tons of sediment from
entering adjacent water bodies. This CWSRF loan allowed the Spokane Conservation District to
make 32 loans for direct seed equipment, implementing conservation practices on over 107,000
acres.

Since 2000, the District has utilized a conduit lending approach to provide CWSRF loans to
offer low-interest loans to agricultural producers in Eastern Washington. As of November 2023,
the District has provided over $23.3 million in CWSRF funding to transition land to agricultural
practices that support healthy soils and improve water quality. The District was recently awarded
an additional $3.8 million CWSRF loan to continue the direct seed local loan program.

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Photo credit: City of Ripley Sanitary Board

Environmental & Public Health Protection

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Project Name: Ripley Wastewater Treatment Plant
Assistance Recipient: City of Ripley Sanitary Board

The City of Ripley is upgrading its existing wastewater treatment and collection systems
to address years of regulatory compliance issues and treatment capacity constraints in
accordance with consent orders and administrative orders received by the facility. The existing
treatment lagoons were hydraulically overloaded and not able to meet current effluent
quality standards on Mill Creek, a perennial tributary of the Ohio River. The lagoons will be
replaced with a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) plant, which will allow Ripley to add additional
treatment trains in the future to accommodate any increases in flow. Once the lagoons are
decommissioned and all sludge has been removed, the area will be graded and re-vegetated
for future beneficial use by the City of Ripley.

As a direct result of this project, two small, rural communities with decades-long failing
wastewater lagoons will have clean safe wastewater services. The elimination of the failing
lagoons will benefit Mill Creek and the Ohio River by reducing the amount of fecal coliform
and iron entering the stream. The project includes mitigation measures to protect system
components from potential flood damage since portions of the project are located within the
100- year floodplain.

The total cost of the project exceeds $31 million, a substantial capital investment for a utility
that serves approximately 2,260 customers. As a result, twelve funding sources, including a
$10.5 million CWSRF loan, were brought together to finance this very important water quality
and public health priority for the City of Ripley and its residents.

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i«SS		Ji

Photo credit: Town of Carlisle

System Partnerships

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Project Name: Carlisle/Union Regional Sewer Extension
Assistance Recipient: Town of Carlisle

For decades, the Town of Carlisle was dependent on a textile plant for their wastewater
treatment. When the mill facility closed in 2020 and the associated wastewater treatment
plant (WWTP) closed in 2023, the Town sought assistance from regional utilities, as well as
multiple funding sources, to address its wastewater treatment needs. The City of Union, on
behalf of Carlisle, sought the services of an engineering firm to evaluate alternatives for the
treatment of the Town's wastewater. Ultimately, pumping Carlisle's wastewater to the City of
Union WWTP, while a greater initial capital cost, was determined to be the most economical
solution for the residents of the Town and the City of Union.

With the assistance of a coalition of partners including Union County, the City of Union, South
Carolina Department of Commerce, South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, and a $1
million CWSRF loan, Carlisle's wastewater is now being pumped to the City of Union WWTP,
regionalizing the systems. The City of Union and the Town of Carlisle have implemented the
project to adapt to climate change by constructing two modern pump stations, upgrading
an existing one, and installing 60,000 linear feet of force main, thereby reducing energy costs
and increasing community climate resiliency. Regionalization of the systems will provide a
reliable method of treatment for Carlisle's wastewater and eliminate the staffing and financial
burdens of supporting sewer treatment facilities for the Town.

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Photo credit: City of Newark

Community Engagement

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Project Name: Rodney Dormitory Site Storm Water Management Park
Assistance Recipient: City of Newark

The City of Newark has faced recurring flooding during wet weather events. Climate change
creates rain events that often exceed the capacity of the City's stormwater management
system. When the University of Delaware closed the Caesar Rodney Dormitory Complex in
May 2014, the City identified an opportunity to acquire the 7.24-acre property and repurpose it
as a multiuse site, providing the community with a state-of-the-art stormwater management
facility along with recreational and educational components. The City demonstrated its
commitment to public involvement and input from the early stages of project development,
hosting three separate community workshops in 2017 to collaborate on the design and
amenities of the new site. The City implemented a robust public participation program to
re-imagine the site and make the final product something Newark residents and visitors will
proudly utilize for years to come. The final conceptual design was presented to City Council
in December 2017 and approved for CWSRF loan funding in early 2018. A $9 million CWSRF
loan supported several phases of construction to bring the project to fruition - from building
demolition, to the construction of a stormwater management pond, to soil management.
The City combined their CWSRF loan with Delaware Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Control (DNREC) support from a Community Environmental Project Fund
grant, a Brownfield Development grant, and a surface water stormwater planning grant.
Together, these funds helped pay for the design and installation of educational signage at the
park facility.

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Photo credit: Athens County Commissioners

Innovative Financing

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

Project Name: US 50 Sanitary Sewer Improvements Phase 6 & 7

Assistance Recipient: Athens County Commissioners

Athens County Ohio, partnered with the City of Athens to develop a regional solution to meet
the area's wastewater needs. The City will receive and treat the sewage collected and pumped
from the surrounding unsewered areas in the County The area served by this project is part
of Ohio's Appaiachia region, which is characterized by a lack of financial and infrastructure
resources. Many of the residents served by the new regional sewer system have aging and
failing household sewage treatment systems, which cannot be upgraded due to technical and
affordability limitations.

The Phase 6 & 7 sewer improvement project is designed to serve approximately 1,280 users
through the regional sewer system. The proposed service area was divided into project phases
to make the County's sewer installation work more manageable and to maximize opportunities
for securing grant and SPF loan funding. To help ensure that the proposed sewer system
could be affordably implemented for the area's many lower income residents, Athens County
secured $7.1 million in CWSRF funds ($4,000,000 in principal forgiveness and $3,097,500 as a 0%
interest rate loan), $2.6 million in local American Rescue Plan Act funds, $750,000 in Community
Development Block Grant money, and $500,000 in Appalachian Regional Commission grant
dollars to pay for the $10.9 million project. This combination of funding has helped make the new
sewers and central wastewater treatment affordable for residents.

This project eliminates potential health threats associated with failing household sewage
treatment systems and restores and protects water quality in area streams and rivers. Since
flooding is an increasing threat in many parts of the project service area, a well-managed central
wastewater system, including back-up power sources for pumps and other critical components,
will help ensure that residents have adequate sewage disposal even during times of flood.

PISCES 2023 Recognition Program


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New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Project Name: Wastewater Treatment Facility Phase 3A Capital Improvements Project
Assistance Recipient: Town of Hooksett

TheTOWn of Hooksett's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) collects wastewater
from various sources, including the Town of Hooksett and Southern New Hampshire
University, and provides secondary treatment before discharging into the Merrimack
River. In 2011, an upgrade: was performed to increase the facilitys capacity from 1.1 to
2.2 million gallons per day (MGD). However, a hydraulic failure in March 2011 led to the
release of millions of integrated fixed-film activated sludge (I FAS) plastic disks into the
Merrimack River that discharges into the Atlantic Ocean. It cost over $1 million to clean
up beaches in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

To minimize the risk of another disk release, Hooksett installed additional fixed screens.
After extensive research, Hooksett received a $3.5 million CWSRF ioan to implement its
WWTP 3A Capital Improvements Project, which increased the plant's capacity to treat
peak loads and meet average daily and peak hourly flows. The project demonstrates
Hooksett's commitment to producing high quality effluent though continuous
upgrades such as installing three treatment tanks for each treatment train and new
screening equipment. The project improves water quality in the Merrimack River by
increasing hydraulic and organic loading, enhancing energy efficiency, and reducing
operation costs. It Was designed to minimize capital and operational costs, reduce
water consumption, and achieve energy savings through aeration controls and return
activated sludge wasting controls.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Project Name: University Hospital Co-Generation Plant Upgrades
Assistance Recipient: University Hospital

University Hospital is New Jersey's principal teaching hospital and is the state's
only public academic medical center. It provides essential services, including
trauma care, in the state's largest and most overburdened communities. The
hospital previously generated heat and electricity through a combined heat and
power (CHP) system that utilized water injection turbines to reduce nitrous oxide
(NOx) emissions. This system, which was Costly to operate and generated high
'volumes: of wastewater discharge while achieving only moderate NOx reductions,
was noncompliant with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(NJDEP) regulations.

By leveraging $7.34 million in assistance from the NJ Water Bank with funding
from the NJ Energy Resilience Bank, University Hospital was able to replace and
upgrade to highly efficient natural gas turbines, thus reducing emissions bySIXlL
This upgrade saves the Newark campus eight million gallons of water annually,
significantly decreasing the hospital's discharge of wastewater. The upgrades also
provide a resilient power source to the hospital's wastewater pumping stations
and stormWater pumps. With the upgraded CHP energy system, the hospital
can generate power without relying on external electric transmission, ensuring
continuity of hospital care as climate change increases the frequency of storm
events and the risk of power outages.

Photo credit: University Hospital

Photo credit: Town of Hooksett

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Photo credit: Maryland Department of the Environment

New York Environmental Facilities Corporation
Project Name: Beaver Creek Clean River Project
Assistance Recipient: City of Albany

Six communities, known as the Albany CSO Pool Communities Corporation, have
joined in an inter-municipal venture to address the impact of combined sewer
overflows (CSQs) to the local area served by the Albany County and Rensselaer
County Sewer Districts. It is estimated that this sewer system discharges an average
of 500 million gallons of wastewater annually to the Hudson River. The City of Albany
received a $55.5 million CWSRF loan for this project to address CSOs.

Stormwater from the Beaver Creek sewershed has a major impact on the local
Wastewater treatment plant. As a combined sewer, untreated wastewater discharges
to the Hudson River from the Beaver Creek sewershed during wet weather events
through permitted combined sewer outfalls. The Beaver Creek Satellite Treatment
Facility was designed to intercept Wet weather flows and provide screening and
chemical disinfection prior to discharge. The design team identified an existing
underutilized storm sewer that could be used to convey screenings directly to the
wastewater treatment plant. The project also mitigated a sinkhole in the Beaver
Creek trunk sewer located in a public park where raw sewage has been observed
after intense rain events. The area Will be redeveloped into a ravine garden With
historical and environmental educational signage.

Maryland Department of the Environment

Project Name: Leveraging CWSRF for ENR Upgrades of Maryland's 67 Major
WWTPs

Assistance Recipient: Multiple Wastewater Treatment Plants statewide

Maryland employed a creative financing mechanism by pairing CWSRF dollars
with the State's Bay Restoration Fund (BRF) to acceleratewater quality restoration
in the Chesapeake Bay. Wastewater constitutes a large component of the
Chesapeake Bay water quality impairment. To remedy the inputs of nutrients,
bacteria, and pathogens, the state's major Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)
required upgrades.

Since 2004, the BRF has expended nearly $1.3 billion on the WWTP improvements
and, in lock step, the CWSRF has contributed $1.4 billion to complete the
upgrades of 65 operational plants to date, with two more to complete in 2024, oh
the twentieth anniversary of the BRF This extraordinary infusion of capital funds
over two decades has reduced statewide nutrient pollution in the Bay by a total
of 8.2 million pounds of nitrogen and 945,971 pounds of phosphorus on an annual
basis. The initiative to upgrade Maryland's 67 Significant WWTPs to enhanced
nutrient removal (ENR) functionality demonstrates how CWSRF investments have
been leveraged With state capital dollars through the Bay Restoration Fund.

Photo credit: City of Albany

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Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority

Project name: Capital Region Water - Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Programmatic Financing

Assistance Recipient: Capital Region Water

Capital Region Water (CRW) has been tasked with reducing excessive inflow to
a combined sewer system. This will protect system capacity increase capacity
available to handle more extreme-weather events, and reduce sewer overflows. CRW
developed a capital improvement plan to manage stormwater flows by constructing
a series of green stormwater infrastructure source control practices throughout the
City of Harrisburg over the next 4years. The projects may include porous pavement
in parking lots, paths, alleys, and streets; infiltration and bioretention systems; green
roofs; rain gardens; and cisterns.

The projects will capture urban stormwater runoff prior to entering the CRW's
combined sewer system, reducing the Volume and frequency of combined sewer
overflows (CSOs) to the Susquehanna River and Raxton Creek. To implement
the capital improvement plan, CRW turned to the Pennsylvania Infrastructure
investment Authority (PENNVEST) for an innovative financing vehicle capable of
meeting multi-year cash flow needs. A programmatic CWSRF loan of $13 million
Was executed to cover the projects on the capital improvement plan as opposed to
a traditional project-specific lending strategy. This created efficiencies and achieved
improvements to CSO control by capturing approximately 20 to 40 million gallons
per year.

Photo credit: Capital Region Water
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Project Name: Southwest Virginia Pilot Program, Max Meadows Collection System
Improvements

Assistance Recipient: Wythe County Virginia

Wythe County is part of a cohort that participated in the Virginia Clean Water
Revolving Loan Fund's Southwest Virginia Pilot Program. Significant population loss
and a depressed economy- due to the decades-long decline of the coal industry
in Southwest Virginia - present a challenge to communities who need to invest in
water infrastructure. Wythe County needs to address ongoing issues with sanitary
sewer overflows (SSOs) and hydraulic Overloads at Wastewater treatment plants
exacerbated by more frequent extreme rainfall events associated with climate
change. The area's wastewater systems were designed and constructed to serve and
be maintained by a much larger population. As a result, communities in this area of
the state need financial assistance to make needed repairs efficiently and affordably

To address these challenges, in 2019, the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan
Fund launched a pilot program to identify priority repairs with a focus on asset
management. The program funded Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Studies with up to
7SS8principal forgiveness. Following the completion of the report, the participants
in the program worked with Virginia CWSRF program staff to submit an application
to complete the needed repairs, with the construction portion of the program
incentivized by up to 75® principal forgiveness. Wythe County closed their $1.37
million CWSRF loan in April of 2023 and priority repairsare underway, leading to a
comprehensive effort to improve their collection system.

Photo credit: Wythe County

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Recognized Projects

Indiana Finance Authority

Project Name: City of Jasonville Wastewater Improvements Project

Assistance Recipient: City of Jasonville

Within Clay County Indiana, the unincorporated community of Coalmont faced
environmental and public health issues resulting from failing septic systems and
direct discharge of residential wastewater to local roadside ditches. Since December
2022, the Clay County Commissioners have worked to address nonpoint source
pollution in the Coalmont area. This project received $9.5 million in CWSRF funding
to expand nearby Jasonvi lie's wastewater facilities and provide connections to
the Coalmont community, located north of Jasonville and Shakamak State Park
wastewater treatment facility. This project eliminates up to 131 failing septic systems
and CWSRF savings avoided raising rates for the community. Reduced nutrient and
pathogen loading to two impaired Waterways on the 3Q3(d)-list Will improve water
quality and provide safe access to activities like swimming, fishing, and boating in
the nearby Shakamak State Park.

The project incorporates innovative climate mitigation approaches in its design For
example, the project will install sewer linings and equalization basins that will reduce
and mitigate impacts of inflow and infiltration caused by increased precipitation
intensity, and the project: will use improved technologies which will remove
ammonia more efficiently at lower temperatures during extreme weather events.

Photo credit: City of Jasonville

Photo credit: City of Marquette

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Project Name: Marquette Wastewater Treatment Plant Solids Handling
Improvements

Assistance Recipient: City of Marquette

The City of Marquette struggled with the management of residual solids from its
wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The City's plant also, struggled to comply
With dissolved o>ygen levels in its effluent when Lake Superior has high water
levels. In response to these challenges, the City of Marquette is constructing a new
dewatering facility that will thicken and dewater residual solids. Anaerobic digestion
will produce biogasto: help power and heat the WWTP. The City's goal is to process
100,000 gallons of sewage monthly, which would result in an estimated 3451 increase
in biogas production and energy offsetting the facility's reliance on natural gas.
The WWTP Will also transition from primarily liquid to dewatered biosolids. Liquid
biosolids disposal volume is estimated to be reduced by 700,000-gallons per year,
or approximately 120 6,000-gallon trucks. The upgraded plant will also feature
an energy efficient fine bubble diffuser, which will increase dissolved oxygen
concentrations in the plant's effluent and help to protect the Water quality and
freshwater ecosystem of Lake Superior. The project received $12.5 million in CWSRF
assistance, including $5.9 million in principal forgiveness.

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Arkansas Department of Agriculture

Project Name: Flippin Wastewater Treatment Plant

Assistance Recipient: City of Flippin, Arkansas

The City of Flippin, Arkansas, operates a wastewater treatment plant fWWTP)
that discharges into the White River, a river of significant economic, recreational,
and natural value that has been designated a National Blueway The plant had
been operating beyond hydraulic capacity requiring operators to manipulate
the treatment process to prevent biosolidsfrom being discharged into the river.
Operators were forced to choose between allowing effluent to exceed permit
iimitationsor discharging untreated sludge.

This project will use $4.1 million in CWSRF assistance to expand the capacity of the
Flippin WWTP. The City will make upgrades to the WWTP including the installation
of a new influent pump station, headworks, and a 0.3 MGD Sequential Batch Reactor
(SBR). These improvements will enable the plant to effectively treat all the City's
sewage and bring the facility into compliance. There will no longer be spillovers
of untreated sewage into the White River, improving water quality and protecting
public health for downstream communities and businesses. The new energy-
efficient equipment will also reduce operations costs and contribute to future plant
susta inability

Photo credit: City of Flippin

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

Project Name: Pointe Coupee Parish Sewer District 1 Consolidation

Assistance Recipient: Pointe Coupee Parish Sewer Board

Pointe Coupee Parish Sewer Board, located in New Roads, Louisiana, operated
two aging wastewater treatment plants that Were failing to meet discharge
limits and posed a risk to both the environment and public health. To address
these issues, the Pointe Coupee Parish Sewer Board proposed to decommission
the two facilities and replace them eachwitha new pump station and install
a force main networkto convey wastewater to an existing system in another
district. This project also eliminates the problem of infiltration and inflow (l/l)
into: the system, which will reduce the loading on the system from other water
sources.

To ensure adequate outreach, the Pointe Coupee Parish Sewerage District
Consolidation Project engaged the community through a public hearing,
Worked with community leaders, and attended community events. These
proactive engagements ensured the community had a voice in shaping the
project's direction and outcomes, fostering a sense of ownership and support
among community members. Supported by a $1.3 million CWSRF loan, the $4.2
million project not only improves water quality and protects public health but
also supports economic development in the parish through the creation of jobs
associated with the new construction.

Photo credit: Pointe Coupee Parish Sewer Board

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Recognized Projects

New Mexico Environment Department

Project Name: City of Santa Fe River Repair and Bank Stabilization Project
Assistance Recipient: City of Santa Fe

The Santa Fe River flows when water is released by the City from two upstream
reservoirs and from rain events and snow melt. In 2018, when historic flooding
struck, the stormwater degraded riverbanks, allowing agricultural runoff pollution
and trash to enter the water system. Post-flood water sampling identified E. coli;
elevated levels of aluminum, total nitrogen, total phosphorus; and heavy sediment
loading.

The City responded to this catastrophic event by applying for $4.2 million in CWSRF
funding to restore the damaged river utilizing green infrastructure principles
and soft engineering. This project will help protect public health and restore and
reinvigorate local ecosystems. This project will reduce stormwater pollution, control
erosion, improve water quality, and repair and restore the health of the river corridor-

Photo credit: City of Santa Fe

Oklahoma Water Resources Board

Project Name: City of Duncan, Clear Creek Lake Dam Rehabilitation
Assistance Recipient: Duncan Public Utilities Authority

The Clear Creek Lake Dam, which is owned and operated by the City of Duncan,
Oklahoma, is an aging dam in need of upgrades to maintain functionality
and ensure the continued protection of downstream water quality. In 2022, an
Embankment Evaluation and Rehabilitation Alternatives Study revealed that the
dam's safety factors did not meet the design criteria, rendering the dam vulnerable
to a future flood event. Uneven slopes, tree roots, beaver activity and several
sinkholes:With active seepage all contributed to its vulnerability. The failure of the
dam would cause significant impairment to downstream water bodies in addition to
threatening infrastructure in the community.

The City of Duncan is proactively addressing the threat of dam failure by
constructing a new spillway to meet significant-hazard standards. The City
received $15.4 million in CWSRF assistance to complete the dam rehabilitation.
The new spillway will be flood resilient, protecting downstream waterbodies and
infrastructure as severe wet weather events become more frequent due to climate
change. Additional dam improvements will also allowwater releases that improve
water quality in the lake.

Photo credit: Duncan Public Utilities Authority

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Texas Water Development Board

Project Name: Transfer to Baytown WWTP

Assistance Recipient: Cedar Bayou Park Utility District

The Cedar Park Bayou Utility District's Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) was
located within a floodplain and discharged to Cedar Bayou, an impaired water
body To address water quality increase resiliency and protect public health, Cedar
Park Bayou Utility District decided to remove the existing WWTP and lift station,
replacing the two facilities with one lift station and consolidating wastewater
treatment with the City of Baytown. The City of Baytown accepted the additional
flows within their collection system for treatment at their WWTP.

Cedar Park Bayou Utility District received a $1.34 million loan to implement this
project. It also removed an outfall into Cedar Bayou, Which lessened the chance of
raw sewage discharges during flood events. The project removed a WWTP located
within a floodplain, elevated the new lift station to be more resilient against future
flooding, and raised electrical equipment and critical infrastructure above 500-year
flood elevations.

Photo credit: Cedar Bayou Park Utility District

Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Project Name: Perryville Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
Assistance Recipient: City of Perryville, Missouri

The City of Perryville's aging infrastructure limited its ability to continue meeting
permit effluent limits. To addressthese concerns, the City garnered supportfrom
the community to invest in new wastewater treatment improvements to increase
the design flowfrom 1.8 to 2.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and enhance the
treatment capabilities, including those for nutrients and metals. The treatment
plant's design increased flexibility in handling flo^w variations with changing weather
patterns. The new components included a new three-channel oxidation ditch, a new
influent pump station, headworks, clarifiers, a return activated sludge pump station,
twotertiarydiscfilters, and an ultraviolet disinfection system. A$27 million CWSRF
loan and the chosen Progressive Design-Build construction delivery approach
helped expedite the project timeline.

Water quality was a key factor in the new treatment plant design and studies were
used to help refine the effluent discharge limits for metals. The receiving stream,
Cinque Hommes Creek, is a tributary to the Mississippi River, so nutrient levels
and downstream impact on Gulf Hypoxia were a factor. Another water quality
Consideration is the presence of grotto sculpins in the vicinity, which are endangered
cave-dwelling fish that o:nly occur in Perry County.

Photo credit: City of Perryville

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Recognized Projects

Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority
Project Name: Collection System Improvements
Assistance Recipient: Town of Yampa

The TdWn of Yampa, located in Northwestern Colorado, wanted to improve their
Wastewater treatment works but were dismayed by the potential rate increase
associated with their project cost estimates. The Town worked closely with the
State to: assess project alternatives. They decided to approach improvements to the
collection system and the treatment system upgrades as separate projects and seek
separate funding sources for each.

The ToWn determined that the CWSRF would fund the collection system
improvements and USDA Rural Development would fund the replacement of the
Town's lagoon system with a mechanical treatment plant. This enabled the Town to
leverage principal forgiveness opportunities available from both funding sources.
Additionally, by splitting the project in two, the Town Was ableto apply fortwo
state grants for $1 million each from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The
Town also developed a business case to establish their status as a disadvantaged
community, which qualified the community for a design and engineering assistance
grant. The Town is still developing the lagoon replacement project plan with USDA
Rural Development. The SRF funded collection system project will cost $2.3 million,
$1.7 million of which is likely eligible for principal forgiveness, with a repayable
amount of $500,000 - avoiding further user rate increases for the Town.

Photo credit: Town of Yampa


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www.epa.gov/cwsrf/pisces

vvEPA

WWW.epa.gov

EPA Publication 832R24001


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