Nebraska will invest more than $175 million in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure over the next two fiscal years following approval of the FY2027 Clean Water and Drinking Water Intended Use Plan (IUP). The funding will support at least 40 projects through the State Revolving Fund program.
The Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment will provide communities with a combination of below-market loans, grants, and loan forgiveness to finance essential water infrastructure improvements. The Environmental Quality Council approved the funding plan on June 24.
The investment will support a wide range of projects across the state. Gibbon will develop a new wellfield to address manganese contamination, Seward will modernize its wastewater treatment plant by replacing its trickling filter system with an activated sludge process for nutrient removal, and Greeley will replace a lagoon system damaged by flooding.
The program also allocates funding for lead service line replacement projects in 24 communities, including Lincoln and the utility serving the Omaha metropolitan area. Several communities will also undertake projects to remove PFAS and manganese from drinking water supplies.
The latest funding package will bring Nebraska’s cumulative SRF commitments close to $2 billion. More than 300 communities have received assistance through the program since its inception, including nearly 160 communities that have benefited from IIJA-supported funding.