Brownsville Public Utilities Board Sanitary Sewer Overflow Projects
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) which included funds for water and wastewater infrastructure financing to be administered through existing Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF) and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF). The intent of the ARRA, in regards to water and wastewater infrastructure, was to provide funds to projects that were ready to proceed to construction within 12 months of the date of enactment of ARRA. Project Completion & Expenditures Based on the construction schedules, the expenditures in 2010 are estimated at $42.9 million and $6.5 million in 2011. All 13 projects, started in January 2010, are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.
Some of the key requirements of ARRA are: - At least 50 percent of the funds must be used to provide additional subsidies to eligible recipients in the form of grants, loan forgiveness, or negative interest rates; - At least 20 percent of the funds must be used to fund Green Reserve projects;Land purchase is not eligible; - Davis-Bacon wage rate requirements prevail; - Any funds used for construction, alteration, maintenance or repair of a public work must use American made iron, steel and manufactured goods; and - The ARRA Act requires an increased level of reporting.