Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Loan

Eligible applicants include the following:

• Municipalities, counties, public sewer or water districts, political subdivisions or instrumentalities of the state are eligible for wastewater and nonpoint source pollution control project loans
• Privately-owned and nonprofit facilities may be eligible to apply for nonpoint source pollution control loans

Eligible projects include wastewater or stormwater projects that improve water quality. 

Wastewater projects may include the following:

• New treatment plants
• Treatment plant improvements and upgrades
• Acquiring an existing wastewater treatment plant
• Sewer rehabilitation
• Sewer line extensions associated with regionalization projects
• Treatment plant decommissioning actions associated with plant replacement or regionalization projects
• Sewer line extensions to existing unsewered properties
• Combined sewer overflow and sanitary sewer overflow corrections
• Projects for reusing or recycling wastewater
• System security, efficiency,  and conservation measures
• Projects addressing emerging contaminants

Nonpoint source pollution control projects may include the following: 

• Measures to manage, reduce, treat, reuse, or recapture stormwater or subsurface drainage water
• Wetland protection and restoration measures
• Decentralized wastewater treatment systems 
• Source water protection measures

Through the Green Project Reserve, the CWSRF also includes projects that target critical green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative activities, including the following:

• Practices that manage wet weather as well as maintain and restore natural hydrology by infiltrating, evapotranspiring and harvesting and using stormwater 
• Improved technologies and practices to 
  • Deliver equal or better services with less water
  • Reduce the energy consumption of water quality projects, use of energy in a more efficient way or produce or use renewable energy
  • Deliver services or manage water resources in a more sustainable way

State regulations describe eligible and ineligible expenses. Examples of eligible costs include engineering costs for planning and design, land if needed for the project, legal costs and construction costs. A full list is available in Code of State Regulations 10 CSR 20-4.040.

Loan amounts are issued on the basis of actual as-bid costs, with no set maximum. The CWSRF program offers fixed-rate loans with the following terms: 

• Subsidized target interest rate that is 30% of the current market rate published the week before loan closing, which occurs once all program requirements are satisfied, the project is bid and contract awarded
• Standard loan term is 20 years or the life of the project
• Extended term loans, up to 30 years, not to exceed the useful life of the project, may be available on a case-by-case basis with an additional 0.25% interest added to the target interest rate 
• A 0.5% annual loan administration fee is also charged through the life of the loan

Each applicant must demonstrate it has secured proper authorization with a dedicated repayment source in order to provide the appropriate loan security. The debt instrument is ordinarily a Revenue Bond or a General Obligation Bond, but a Special Obligation Bond may be accepted in certain circumstances.

Loan funds may be paired with additional subsidization (grants) to offset a project’s total loan amount. Additional subsidization is available each year on a limited basis for eligible communities based on project affordability and as an incentive for specific types of water quality projects.

The department accepts CWSRF Loan applications throughout the year; however, only the applications received or postmarked by March 1 are considered during the current year's loan cycle. Applications received or postmarked after March 1 are not considered until the following year, assuming funds are available. To apply for this loan, applicants may submit their completed application, approvable facility plan and documentation of an acceptable debt instrument by email (preferred) to fac@dnr.mo.gov or mail to the department's Financial Assistance Center. The application and other key forms and guidance are available under the Resources tab.

The department ranks project applications based on readiness to proceed, using a priority point system. Eligible projects are then listed in the next fiscal year’s CWSRF Intended Use Plan, available on the department's State Revolving Fund Plans and Reports webpage. The complete list of criteria used and associated point value is available in the Intended Use Plan. The department may make loan only commitments with a quarterly amendment to the Intended Use Plan.

Forms

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Application MO 780-1951
• State Revolving Fund Affordability Grant Eligibility Evaluation Form MO 780-2854
• Wastewater Construction Statement of Work Completed MO 780-2155
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund Index of Required Forms - This index contains links to some documents required by the CWSRF Loan and/ or the CWSRF Engineering Report Grants programs. Note: Not all forms are included on the index. Additional forms will be provided by the department’s Financial Assistance Center.

Guidance

• What to Expect from the SRF Process
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund Project Facility Plan Guidance - PUB2418
• Design Build Guidance for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and Clean Water State Revolving Fund
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Green Project Reserve - PUB3055
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund Draft User Charge Ordinance
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund Draft Sewer Use Ordinance
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund Draft User Charge Ordinance (Flat Rate)