The Minnesota Public Facility Authority (MPFA) today announced more than $236.4 million in loans and grants to 30 wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects in 18 cities throughout the state.

One of those 18 projects is for the city of Blue Earth.

Blue Earth was awarded $19,594,021 for an addition of a reverse-osmosis treatment system to allow the reduction of salt discharge from in-home water softeners, decreasing treatment facilities’ chloride concentration at the source.

The MPFA helps cities replace aging infrastructure and make system improvements to protect public health and improve water quality. Since its inception in 1987, the MPFA has provided over $7.1 billion for public infrastructure programs statewide, impacting most every community in Minnesota.

“The impact of the MPFA’s funding is felt around the state and is vital to improving not only the health of our communities, but the health of our environment and economy,” said Matt Varilek, commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and MPFA chair. “By prioritizing clean and accessible drinking water, we are working to ensure the wellbeing of our communities for years to come.”

“The MPFA provides crucial financing and technical assistance to communities who might not have access to it otherwise, encouraging economic growth and protecting the health of Minnesotan communities,” said MPFA Executive Director Steve Walter. “Keeping our water clean, drinkable and accessible is the core goal of the MPFA and an investment in Minnesota’s economic growth and prosperity.”

The MPFA administers and oversees the financial management of revolving loan funds and other programs that help local units of government build facilities for clean water, drinking water and transportation infrastructure projects. Funding for these projects primarily comes from the MPFA’s Clean Water Revolving Fund (CWRF) and the Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF). The CWRF helps communities build or upgrade wastewater treatment plants to comply with discharge standards in the federal Clean Water Act, and the DWRF helps communities build drinking water storage, treatment and distribution systems that comply with standards in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Projects can also receive funding from MPFA’s Point Source Implementation Grant program, Water Infrastructure Fund and Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program. In some cases, funding can be provided by special state appropriations, the USDA Office of Rural Development and local sources.