The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a $61.9 million loan to the city of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management to help finance the construction of a new 15-million gallon storage tank and pumping station.
The project will be built at North Fork Peachtree Creek, an area in north Buckhead that is prone to wastewater overflows that often flood homes.
The money comes from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA).
“This project will reduce the volume of sewer overflows along the entire length of the Peachtree Creek sewer system and is only the first part of an agreement with Atlanta that will commit well over $200 million in WIFIA assistance over the next five years,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a prepared statement.
This loan represents the first under a master agreement with the city that will commit $216.8 million in assistance over the next five years to help improve wastewater and stormwater management and benefit public health, water quality, and the environment.
“The capacity relief project will alleviate sewer overflows, add needed system capacity, and aid in continued compliance with our consent decrees,” Watershed Commissioner Mikita Browning said.
