Celebrating over $10 billion in wastewater and drinking water projects funded through Michigan’s State Revolving Funds

Michigan’s State Revolving Fund programs have now surpassed $10 billion in financed projects, an achievement reflecting decades of commitment to protecting public health, strengthening water infrastructure, and safeguarding our lakes and rivers.

What is the State Revolving Fund?

The State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs provide long‑term, sustainable financing for critical water infrastructure projects across Michigan. Through these programs, communities receive low‑interest loans that support public health protection, water quality improvements, and ongoing infrastructure investment.

Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund was established in 1987 under the federal Clean Water Act. The CWSRF provides financing to municipalities for the construction of water pollution control projects. These projects include wastewater treatment plant upgrades and expansions, combined or sanitary sewer overflow abatement, new sewers designed to reduce existing sources of pollution, and other publicly owned wastewater treatment efforts that improve water quality. The CWSRF also finances stormwater infrastructure projects to reduce nonpoint sources of water pollution caused by runoff to lakes, streams, and wetlands.

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)

The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund was created under the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. The DWSRF is used to help public water systems finance the costs of replacement and repair of drinking water infrastructure to protect public health and achieve or maintain compliance with federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. These projects include lead service line replacement, drinking water treatment plant upgrades, water main work, drinking water storage, emerging contamination work, and more.

How the SRF Programs Work

The CWSRF and DWSRF are both structured as revolving loan funds. The state and federal government provide the initial capitalization for the programs. The state then issues low- interest loans to municipalities. As loans are repaid, principal and interest return to the fund, allowing additional projects to be financed over time.

The First Borrowers

In September of 1989 the first CWSRF borrower to Michigan’s CWSRF was the City of Marshall in Calhoun County. They were awarded a $1.8 million loan for the rehabilitation of the city’s sewer system.

In June of 1998 the first DWSRF loans were Issued to four communities:

• Carrolton Township - $2.1 million to upgrade and replace most of the township’s water mains.
• City of Mount Clemens - $855,000 for improvements to the city’s drinking water distribution system.
• Ottawa County - $395,000 to extend municipal water supply to users with contaminated wells.
• Washtenaw County - $1.3 million to replace water mains and install a new well.

Top Borrowers

To date the SRF programs have issued 1,277 loans statewide: 782 CWSRF loans and 495 DWSRF loans. Several municipalities have repeatedly leveraged the programs to ensure their water infrastructure is invested in.

CWSRF Top Borrows

1. Wayne County- 48 Loans totaling $417 million
2. City of Lansing- 33 loans totaling $411.7 million

DWSRF Top Borrows

1. Port Huron- 20 loans totaling $39.9 million
2. Great Lakes Water Authority- 16 loans totaling $354.8 million

Largest Loans

The SRF programs support projects of all sizes, from local distribution system upgrades to major regional infrastructure improvements.

CWSRF

• $175 million awarded to the Great Lakes Water Authority for upgrades to the largest single site wastewater treatment plant in North America.

DWSRF

• $104.7 million awarded to the Great Lakes Water Authority to complete watermain work on 14-mile road.

Learn more about the State Revolving Fund at Michigan.gov/SRF and see the impact by visiting the Michigan State Revolving Fund Dashboard.