THE SCOOP ON WIFA
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The
Scoop On WIFA
Projects: Completed, On
Deck & In the Pipeline

Big Park Domestic Wastewater Improvement District
New Wastewater Treatment Plant
The Scoop - WIFA finances
important water and wastewater infrastructure projects at below market interest
rates (2.15% was the average 20-year term interest rate for governmental
entities last year). We help pay for pipes, treatment plants, tanks, wells and other
infrastructure needed to provide safe drinking water and proper wastewater treatment
in Arizona’s communities. We help cities, towns, private water companies and special
districts get the funding they need to make a project happen.
WIFA is unique, in that we can fund projects of any size (large or small), and
we do not have a limited funding cycle. We accept applications and approve financing
year-round, so we can easily accommodate our applicants’ project timelines. WIFA
can fund the planning, design, construction and acquisition of water and wastewater
systems. And, while we keep busy with traditional drinking water and wastewater
infrastructure projects, we are also promoting new initiatives to fund stormwater
and recharge projects.
Projects: Completed
Each quarter we produce a summary of the projects that have been completed during
the previous quarter for both loans and technical assistance projects. The updates
summarize the successes and results of the funding that WIFA is providing to Arizona’s
communities. This information is also shared with the WIFA Advisory Board and published
in the Arizona Water Association’s
Kachina News.
Click here
for quarterly updates on completed projects.
City of Bisbee
San Jose Wastewater Treatment Solar Addition
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Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement
District
Purchase of Thim Water Systems
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Projects: On Deck (next up for approval)
Before a loan can be issued, the project must be approved by the Arizona Finance Authority Board (AFA) of Directors. The WIFA Advisory Board makes recommendations to the newly formed
Arizona Finance Authority (AFA)
Board of Directors on policies, loan approvals and various other WIFA actions. Projects going to the WIFA Advisory Board and AFA Board for financing
approval are included in the meeting agendas prior to each scheduled
meeting. WIFA Advisory Board meetings are typically held every other month. The AFA Board of Directors meets approximately one week after the WIFA Advisory Board to
take action on their recommendations.
Click here
for meeting agendas to learn which projects will be considered for financing approval.
Projects: In the Pipeline
The first step in WIFA’s loan application process is an online application, or what WIFA calls a Project Priority
List application. This simple online application lets WIFA know that an applicant
is interested in funding a project through WIFA and places it on our list of potential
projects to fund (Project Priority List or PPL). WIFA uses the online application
to score the projects on the list and determine a project’s financial subsidy. Note
that this list does not determine the order in which projects are funded. Loans
are issued after Board approval and when the applicant is ready to proceed with
the project.
Click here for a list of wastewater and drinking water projects in the pipeline. Note: projects
remain on the list for the entire fiscal year even after Board financing approval.
These projects are indicated as such within the PPL.
- Here’s a snap shot of how WIFA’s loan process works:
- Step 1: Applicant submits an online application (Project Priority List application)
- Step 2: Applicant obtains debt authorization
- Step 3: Applicant completes a project finance application
- Step 4: WIFA Advisory Board makes recommendation and AFA Board approves project
- Step 5: WIFA issues loan
Click here for more information on WIFA’s loan application
process.
Public
Notices
WIFA issues public notices for all WIFA Advisory Board and committee meetings, environmental
review decisions, and public hearings.
- WIFA Advisory Board Meetings: The following WIFA activities
require AFA Board approval and are included on our bi-monthly WIFA Advisory Board meeting agendas:
loan resolutions and amendments, policy changes, project priority list additions
and changes, intended use plans and other financial decisions that impact WIFA’s
borrowers.
- Environmental Review Decisions: WIFA conducts
an environmental review on every
project to identify and evaluate its impacts on the environment. Some projects do
not require an environmental assessment and are issued a Categorical Exclusion.
If a project requires an environmental assessment, a Finding of No Significant Impact
will be issued if the assessment reveals no expected significant impact on the environment.
If significant impacts are expected, an Environmental Impact Statement would be
required to continue with financing.
- A public notice is issued when a Categorical Exclusion,
Finding of No Significant Impact or Environmental Impact Statement is prepared by
WIFA. For more information, see
WIFA’s Environmental Review Overview.
- Public Hearings (Intended Use Plans): Annually,
WIFA develops Intended Use Plans (IUPs) to set priorities for the use of our clean
water (wastewater) and drinking water funds. The draft IUPs are released for public
comment and a public hearing is scheduled. See WIFA Reports below.
Click here
for WIFA’s public notices - WIFA Advisory Board meeting agendas, environmental review decisions
and public hearings.
Sign up to be notified when
a public notice is issued.
Contact Us
If you have questions about a specific project or its expected funding schedule,
please call WIFA at (602) 364-1310.
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