DEQ Awards Nearly $21M To The City Of Cottonwood

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today announced the award of a $20,213,144 construction grant to the city of Cottonwood in Idaho County.

This funding, made possible through Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative, will be used to expand the city’s current reuse system, construct new headworks, and complete lagoon upgrades.

“Water is our most valuable resource, and we absolutely must keep up the infrastructure to ensure water is clean and plentiful for this generation and future ones. That is why we made historic investments in water quality and quantity this year as part of my ‘Leading Idaho’ plan,” Governor Little said. “These investments also could keep your property taxes low. Property taxes are determined locally but the investments we made in water and other infrastructure needs at the state level help relieve the burden on local government to cover costs of projects, improving the chances property owners won’t be burdened with the costs,” said Governor Little.

Background
In 2023, the State of Idaho approved plans to roll out $115M in water and wastewater infrastructure project funding, benefiting communities across Idaho through DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund program. This program provides low-interest loans and grants to qualified recipients to improve their drinking water and wastewater facilities. The criteria and list to expend the Leading Idaho funds are listed here (https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/deq-leading-idaho-water-projects_06-2022.pdf). This construction grant represents an estimated $35,398,143 savings to the community compared to average costs for municipal general obligation debt issuances. 

For more information about DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund Program and to learn more about this year’s funding recipients, go to DEQ’s Construction Loans (https://www.deq.idaho.gov/water-quality/grants-and-loans/construction-loans/) page.