Idaho awards $1.8 million to Lewiston for drinking water project

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality awarded $1.8 million to the city of Lewiston for a construction project to address contaminants in drinking water, state officials announced Tuesday.

Department officials said the money will go toward constructing a carbon dioxide system at the city’s water treatment plant and decommissioning a well to address PFOS and PFOA emerging contaminants.

Sometimes called “forever chemicals,” PFOS and PFOA have commonly been used to make clothes, carpet, fabric, cookware and furniture resistant to water, grease and stains, according to the department. The man-made chemicals do not occur naturally in the environment and have been linked to increased risk for cancer, high cholesterol, lower birth weights for infants and effects on the liver, thyroid and immune system. 

To pay for the construction project, the city of Lewiston is receiving a 0% interest loan with 100% principal forgiveness from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s State Revolving Loan Fund, state officials said. The money for the loan comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Emerging Contaminants program, which was funded by the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act that former President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021. 

The favorable terms of the loan represent a $2.7 million savings to the city of Lewiston compared to average costs for municipal general obligation debt, officials with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said.

In general, the department’s State Revolving Loan Fund provides low-interest loans for Idaho communities to improve drinking water and wastewater facilities. Communities and loan recipients that qualify as disadvantaged are eligible for loan forgiveness.