Once your water infrastructure project is included in the Project Priority List and meets the necessary requirements, you can apply for funding from the Clean Water Revolving Fund and Point Source Implementation Grants.
Clean Water Revolving Fund
The Clean Water Revolving Fund, also known as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund or simply SRF, is established under the federal Clean Water Act and state law to make loans for both point source and nonpoint source water pollution control projects. Minnesota's SRF is managed by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (MPFA), a board of six state commissioners from the departments of Employment and Economic Development, Finance, Health, Agriculture, Transportation and the MPCA. Staff from the MPFA and MPCA ointly administer the wastewater and stormwater components of the SRF: the MPFA is responsible for the financial elements of the program, while the MPCA is responsible for environmental and technical components.
- Clean Water Revolving Fund contract packet (Minnesota Public Facilities Authority) — Required contract conditions that apply to Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving Fund projects.
MPCA staff, project engineers, and municipal administrators use these checklists to track the required MPCA administrative forms for each project:
Wastewater
Facilities plan and plan supplement
Project performance
Stormwater
Stormwater project plan and plan supplement
Environmental review documents
Green Project Reserve principal forgiveness
Green Project Reserve (GPR), administered by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (MPFA), assists local units of government with the cost of water infrastructure projects. GPR may forgive up to 25% of your loan principal (up to $1 million) if your project uses green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency, or other environmental innovations.
Point Source Implementation Grants
Point Source Implementation Grants, administered by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (MPFA), assist units of local government with the cost of water infrastructure projects. The grants offset up to 80% of the cost (with a maximum award of $7 million) of public-owned projects necessary to meet TMDL wasteload reductions. Funds have been appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Water Fund via the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. All projects seeking Point Source Implementation grant funds must be listed on the MPCA project priority list.
Stormwater
Wastewater
Water Infrastructure Fund
The Water Infrastructure Fund (MPFA) provides grants and deferred loans to local governments for high cost, high priority wastewater projects, in conjunction with U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grants and loans or the Clean Water Revolving Fund. Projects must be ranked on the MPCA’s Project Priority List to be eligible.
Small community wastewater treatment program
The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority's Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program provides funding to help communities replace non-complying septic systems and straight pipes with new individual or cluster subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) that will be publicly owned, operated and maintained. Technical assistance grants up to $60,000 may be used to conduct preliminary site evaluations and prepare feasibility reports, provide advice on possible SSTS alternatives, and help develop the technical, managerial, and financial capacity to build, operate, and maintain SSTS systems. The MPFA also offers construction financing up to $2 million per year at 1% interest and grants up to 80%, based on affordability criteria.