SWSC Awarded $46.7M in Competitive, Low-Interest Loans
A total of $47.5 million in low-interest loans will help save ratepayers $19.7 million in borrowing costs over 20 years for three critical water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
The loans were awarded to the Commission as part of the competitive Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). MassDEP administers the CWSRF and DWSRF. The loans are for the following projects:
- Locust Transfer and Flow Optimization Project: This project will construct a new conduit linking the Main Intercepting Sewer (which conveys 70% of the region's waste to the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility) to one of three new pipes crossing the Connecticut River (to be installed summer 2021). The conduit will allow for the inspection and maintenance of existing river crossing that has been in continuous use since the 1970s. The CWSRF will loan $20 million for the $24,244,000 project.
- Nutrient Upgrades and Related Facilities Improvements Project: This project involves designing and constructing improvements to the biological nutrient removal process at the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility. The CWSRF will loan $20 million for the $34,687,000 project.
- Clearwell and Backwash Pump Station Project: This project will construct a new clearwell and backwash pump station at the West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant. The DWSRF provided a $15 million loan in 2020, and now will provide an additional $6,750,000 in 2021 to cover the total project cost of $21,750,000.