Nebraska’s State Revolving Fund program is on the verge of surpassing $2 billion in commitments for water infrastructure projects across the state following approval of the fiscal year 2027 Clean Water and Drinking Water Intended Use Plan.
Established through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund in 1988 and expanded in 1997 with the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the program took nearly 35 years to surpass $1 billion in disbursements in 2022. Additional federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has since accelerated investments in communities statewide.
According to the department, nearly 160 Nebraska communities have benefited from State Revolving Fund investments made possible through the federal infrastructure law. During the past two years alone, 55 projects received a combined $287 million in financial assistance.
The newly approved intended use plan outlines at least 40 additional infrastructure projects expected to begin over the next two state fiscal years. More than $175 million in new funding assistance has been identified to support those projects.
The State Revolving Fund program provides Nebraska communities with below-market loans, grants and loan forgiveness for a variety of infrastructure improvements, including water wells, storage towers, booster stations, wastewater treatment facility upgrades, sewer extensions and lead service line replacements.
Because the program operates as a revolving fund, money repaid by borrowers is returned to the program and made available for future projects.
Department officials said that structure allows communities to secure low-interest financing, saving local ratepayers millions of dollars over the life of the program while helping avoid significant utility rate increases.
The fiscal year 2027 Intended Use Plan is available on the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment website.
