The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program accelerates investment in our nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects. FACILITY EXPANSION AND ADVANCED WASTEWATER TREATMENT CONVERSION PROJECT BORROWER: Sarasota County LOCATION: Sarasota, Florida WIFIA LOAN AMOUNT: $105 million TOTAL WIFIA PROJECT COSTS: $214 million POPULATION SERVED BY PROJECT: 434,000 people NUMBER OF JOBS CREATED: 688 jobs PROJECT DESCRIPTION Sarasota County will convert its existing Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility into an Advanced Wastewater Treatment facility. Upon completion, the upgraded Bee Ridge facility's wastewater treatment capacity will expand from 12 million gallons per day to 18 million gallons per day to meet customer demand. The project will provide a sustainable water supply for irrigation and increase the county's ability to implement other water reuse options in the future. In addition, implementing innovative wastewater treatment processes will help the county to comply with current and future regulatory requirements. PROJECT BENEFITS • Helps comply with regulatory requirements. • Improves water quality by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus discharged into local water bodies. • Increases Sarasota County's ability to implement a groundwater recharge project in the future. • Saves Sarasota County an estimated $22 million from financing with a WIFIA loan. WIFIA PROGRAM £% United States Environmental Protection kl m % Agency WEBSITE: www.epa.gov/wifia EMAIL: wifia@EPA.gov ------- |