EPA Recognizes Hastings, Nebraska, for Clean Water Infrastructure Innovation

City of Van Buren/Deer Run Reorganized Common Sewer District project in Missouri receives honorable mention

April 20, 2023

LENEXA, KAN. (APRIL 20, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized 20 clean water infrastructure projects for innovation, including the City of Hastings, Nebraska, through EPA’s George F. Ames Performance and Innovation in the SRF (State Revolving Fund) Creating Environmental Success (PISCES) 2022 national recognition program.

Hastings is being recognized for Excellence in Problem Solving for their Aquifer Storage and Restoration project that was conducted using funds allocated through the Nebraska Clean Water SRF. The innovative project decreased nitrate contaminant levels and provided an economical engineering solution for providing treated drinking water to the city’s residents.

“Clean water is essential, and we applaud the City of Hastings for their innovative engineering solution that increased water quality, while removing the need for a costly new water treatment plant,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “We look forward to seeing more projects like this throughout the Heartland, thanks to the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments in clean water.”

PISCES celebrates innovative clean water state revolving fund programs implemented by assistance recipients. Twenty projects by state or local governments, public utilities, and private entities were recognized by the PISCES 2022 program.

The City of Van Buren/Deer Run Reorganized Common Sewer District (Deer Run Development) received a PISCES 2022 honorable mention for its wastewater treatment project, which was conducted using funds allocated through the Missouri Clean Water SRF.

See the full list of recognized projects and learn more about the PISCES program.

Background

The state revolving funds (SRFs) are EPA-state partnerships that provide communities with a permanent, independent source of low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality and drinking water infrastructure projects. EPA’s SRFs have provided more than $216 billion in financial assistance to over 46,000 water quality infrastructure projects and over 18,000 drinking water projects across the country.

With the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November 2021, over $43 billion in funding will be provided to the SRFs over five years for communities’ water infrastructure improvement projects. This historic funding will help address the most pressing water challenges of today, especially in disadvantaged communities, and make more water infrastructure projects possible.