News ARPA Administration Plan: the details you want to know

The federal government has allocated $8.8 billion to the State of North Carolina under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The North Carolina General Assembly has appropriated $1.69 billion of this funding for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) will administer approximately $1.6 billion as grants for infrastructure projects. NC DEQ’s administration plan is now available online.

Key takeaways from the plan include the following:

• Approximately $839.6 million have been earmarked for specific local government and public entity projects
• The remaining $758 million is available for grant funding under the following programs:
  • Viable Utility Reserve – Water and wastewater systems that have been designated as distressed by the State Water Infrastructure Authority and the Local Government Commission – $353 million
  • Drinking Water Reserve and Wastewater Reserve (State Reserves) – $323 million
    • Public water systems and wastewater systems at–risk of becoming distressed – $191.3 million
      
    • Public water systems and wastewater systems not designated as distressed or categorized as at-risk – $54.1 million
    • Grants for AIA, MRF, rate studies, and other preconstruction activities – $77.6 million
  • Local Assistance for Stormwater Infrastructure Investments Fund – $82 million
• The deadline for applying for the first round of ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds, as well as for project funding from the State Revolving Funds and the State Reserves Programs, is May 2, 2022, at 5 PM.

DWI has recorded a webinar on the ARPA Administration Plan and Spring 2022 applications for funding. You can watch the webinar recording on YouTube.

DWI is also offering training on completing funding applications. These trainings will cover applying for ARPA funds and other funding programs. Training dates and times and applications forms are available on the NC DEQ website.

Still have questions? Our funding team can help! To schedule a meeting with a funding specialist, contact Amanda Whitaker at awhitaker@withersravenel.com.