EPA Announces $38 Million WIFIA Loan to Expand Drinking Water Services in Park City, Utah, in Advance of 2034 Olympic/Paralympic Games

EPA Announces $38 Million WIFIA Loan to Expand Drinking Water Services in Park City, Utah, in Advance of 2034 Olympic/Paralympic Games

March 13, 2026

WASHINGTON - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a $38 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Mountain Regional Water Special Service District serving the Park City area of Summit County Utah.

Enhanced water infrastructure will also benefit approximately 24,000 local residents and will help expand water treatment capacity and processes in preparation for the winter games.

"Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is an exciting opportunity, putting Utah back on the world stage while boosting the local economy. At EPA, we are thrilled to support this effort and help ensure the 2034 Games are a shining success," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. "That means enhancing and expanding water infrastructure in the greater Park City area, especially near the three ski venues, to support an influx of visitors. I am proud that EPA's role in this project - through its $38 million WIFIA loan - will provide support for the Olympics as well as the long-term health of Utah's economy."

The Mountain Regional Water Special Service District will use WIFIA financing to double water treatment capacity and address emerging contaminants at its Signal Hill Water Treatment Plant. This effort, called the Signal Hill Water Treatment Plant-Optimization and Expansion Project, will ensure quality water services to current and future residents while supporting the significant influx of visitors from the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"This project will double the current treatment capacity, helping meet growing demand while ensuring safe, reliable drinking water for Mountain Regional Water customers. The WIFIA loan provides long-term, low-cost financing that allows Mountain Regional Water to make critical infrastructure improvements while minimizing impacts on customer rates," said Mountain Regional Water General Manager Andy Garland. "We are fortunate to have partners at the EPA who recognize that federal financing tools, like WIFIA, are essential to helping local utilities maintain affordable water rates while making the investments necessary to serve our growing communities."

EPA's WIFIA program offers additional financial flexibility to small communities, defined as a population of 25,000 or less. Because the Mountain Regional Water Special Service District serves a small community, the city was afforded the opportunity to finance almost 80% of eligible project costs rather than the 49% financing limit. EPA's WIFIA program also provides flexibility through the ability to defer principal payments for several years after substantial completion of construction, which allows the district to spread loan payments out gradually over time to reduce impact on current ratepayers.

EPA's WIFIA program provides a powerful financial tool that can significantly accelerate investments in water infrastructure to protect human health and the environment while saving communities millions of dollars. Since issuing its first loan in 2018, EPA's WIFIA program has announced $23 in financing water infrastructure projects that are strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating over 168,000 jobs. Through its flexible financing features and competitive interest rates, WIFIA helps communities save money, and even accelerate water infrastructure investments.

WIFIA funding is available to support additional water infrastructure projects, including up to $6.5 billion available to water systems and another $550 million available to State infrastructure financing authorities. EPA is currently accepting letters of interest.

Learn more about EPA's WIFIA Program and water infrastructure investments, including how to submit a letter of interest.

Background

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan program administered by EPA. The WIFIA program aims to accelerate investment in the nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.