SPI Insights

Indiana – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding a $436 million loan to Indiana for projects that will bring cleaner water to residents throughout the state.

The loan is part of the EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and will be added to the Indiana Finance Authority’s (IFA) revolving fund. In total, nearly $900 million will be available to go toward improving the state’s water infrastructure.

Indiana has more than 20 water infrastructure projects across the state, including the DigIndy tunnel system, a $547.5 million project to construct an underground tunnel system through downtown Indianapolis that will prevent raw sewage from being dumped into the White River.

Other projects include improving water treatment plants, storage tanks, distribution systems, wells, and pump stations, along with upgrading systems to be more resilient and efficient. The state is also focusing on wastewater projects such as increasing the capacity for treatment plants and constructing tunnels to divert sewage away from waterways.

Some of the loan recipients are the cities of Lawrence, Evansville, Greenwood, Crown Point, and Delphi. Nearly half of the projects will be in small or rural communities, and more than 1.2 million people will benefit from the water infrastructure improvements.