Financial assistance for water quality improvement projects in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority - PENNVEST

Our mission is to serve communities through capital funding for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, non-point source pollution prevention and other related projects. PENNVEST funding aids communities to increase the health and safety of Commonwealth citizens, protect our environment, promote economic development, and improve water quality. 

Picture of water being poured into a glass
PENNVEST logo

Overview

PENNVEST is a financing authority that provides low-cost financial assistance to address water, wastewater, stormwater, and non-point source pollution problems that impact public health, safety, the environment, regulatory compliance, and economic development.

PENNVEST focuses on two goals for the betterment of the Commonwealth - ensuring all Pennsylvanians have access to clean water and supporting the Commonwealth's economic development. PENNVEST's low-cost financial assistance helps to make the water, consumed daily by thousands of Pennsylvanians, safe to drink. This funding is also a key component in the Commonwealth's efforts to purify rivers and streams, protecting the health of our citizens and natural resources. The projects funded by PENNVEST induce businesses to locate and expand their operations in Pennsylvania to create permanent, lucrative jobs for our workers. 

Quick Links

View Board Meeting Dates and Application Cut-off Deadlines

View Board Meeting Dates and Application Cut-off Deadlines

Apply for PENNVEST Funding

Apply for PENNVEST Funding

 

 

Projects Eligible for Funding

Select the expand icon to the right of each category to view more detail.

 

 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is committed to ensuring that all citizens have access to clean drinking water. PENNVEST financing is available to support drinking water infrastructure improvement projects falling under six (6) categories:

  • Treatment facility projects
  • Transmission and distribution pipe rehabilitation and replacement
  • Source rehabilitation or development
  • Consolidation of two ore more water systems
  • Creation of new systems

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Drinking Water Infrastructure financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of the Erie Water Authority Cherry Street Pump Station project

Ineffective wastewater systems contribute to the pollution of the Commonwealth’s waterways. PENNVEST is committed to protecting and restoring our waterways by financing wastewater infrastructure improvements around:

  • Construction of publicly owned treatment works
  • Decentralized wastewater treatment systems
  • Water conservation, efficiency, and reuse
  • Energy efficiency within the treatment process
  • Security measures at publicly owned treatment works

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Wastewater Infrastructure financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of a wastewater treatment facility
Picture of a sewer project in Lititz

Ineffective stormwater management contributes to the pollution of the Commonwealth’s waterways. PENNVEST is committed to protecting and restoring our waterways by financing stormwater infrastructure improvements around stormwater:

  • Management
  • Reduction
  • Treatment
  • Recapture
  • Reuse or recycling

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Stormwater Infrastructure financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of flooding in Milton from the Susquehanna River.
Picture of flooding in in Central PA.

Studies have shown that 50 percent – 75 percent of lead contamination in drinking water comes from lead service lines. PENNVEST provides financial assistance for the replacement of materials used in water distribution that contribute to lead contamination. Projects eligible for PENNVEST funding around lead mitigation include the replacement of:

  • Lead and galvanized iron or steel service lines
  • Lead gooseneck, pigtail, or connectors in the lines

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Lead Service Line Replacement financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of the WIFTA Bradford City Lead Line Replacement project

Emerging contaminants, including PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) and PFOA (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate) can be found in our air, soil, groundwater, and surface water and can be harmful to humans over time. These chemical substances are introduced into our environment from discarded or expelled medications, cosmetics, sunscreens, fragrances, cookware, carpeting, fabric, food packaging as well as from firefighting foams and many industrial processes.

PENNVEST commits funding towards projects that reduce the introduction of contaminants into our environment. Eligible water treatment technologies include:

  • Activated carbon adsorption
  • Ion exchange resins
  • High-pressure membranes (reverse osmosis and nanofiltration)

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Emerging Contaminants Remediation financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of fire foam PFAS contamination.

Agriculture introduces contaminants into the Commonwealth’s waterways through drainage of fertilizer, pesticides, organic matter, drug residues, and sediments into streams and ponds. This contamination can be minimized through the institution of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Conservation districts or landowners can utilize PENNVEST financing, and potentially receive grants, to fund BMP projects such as:

  • Construction or upgrades to manure storage facilities
  • Creation of lagoons and riparian buffers
  • Installation of fencing as a barrier to animals along a stream or riparian area
  • Heavy use area protection
  • Prescribed grazing
  • Construction of roof runoff structures
  • Installation of stream crossing areas
  • Implementation of vegetated treatment areas
  • Creation of critical area planting
  • Establishment of diversion of surface water from farmsteads, waste systems, etc.
  • Inclusion of filter strips
  • Installation of grassed waterways

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Agricultural Best Management Practices financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of a riparian buffer agricultural non-point source project.
Picture of a stream on farmland that can be impacted by agricultural nutrient and sediment contamination.

In addition to stormwater infrastructure funding, PENNVEST supports the health of the Commonwealth’s waterways by financing green infrastructure projects, that help to reduce stormwater flows into the sewer or surface waters. Green infrastructure projects include:

  • Downspout disconnection
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Rain gardens
  • Planter boxes
  • Bioswales
  • Permeable pavement
  • Green streets and alleys
  • Green parking
  • Green roofs
  • Urban tree canopies
  • Land conservation (riparian areas, wetlands, steep hillsides)

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Green Infrastructure financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Image of the OhioPyle Green Infrastructure Bioswale Project
Image of the City of Pittsburgh Green Infrastructure Project

Estuaries are large bodies of water that meet at the mouth of a river or stream. These estuaries are vital to the ecosystems that provide a home and habitat for fish and water life. Rapid human population growth over several decades has created an abundance of nutrients that have leached into the estuaries through ground and surface waters. The results are dissolved oxygen levels within the water and changes in water quality that essentially destroy productive fish areas and create displeasing waters that adversely affect the valuable tourist industry and property values. PENNVEST can provide funding to leverage existing funding partnerships that help with the removal and abatement of these nutrients from wastewater treatment and stormwater management programs including changes in water flow within the estuary to increase flushing to complement reduction and removal efforts.

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Estuary Revitalization financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

PENNVEST funding can be leveraged with existing funding partnerships to provide communities with the means to address acid mine drainage (AMD) problems impacting water supplies. AMD projects that demonstrate cost-effective environmental benefits for water supplies can use PENNVEST funding for:

  • Monitoring of water quality changes resulting from an abatement project
  • Engineering costs for a priority reclamation project
  • Design costs for a priority reclamation project
  • Construction costs for a priority reclamation project

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Acid Mine Remediation financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Picture of and outfall from an acid mine.

A brownfield is a piece of land or property that has been previously used for industrial or commercial purposes and may threaten Commonwealth water quality due to contamination by toxic waste. A greyfield is an old, and abandoned commercial real estate, specifically shopping malls and retail centers. PENNVEST supports the sale and reuse of industrial and commercial properties in the Commonwealth by funding remediation projects to revitalize brownfield and greyfield properties.

The benefits provided by PENNVEST funding of brownfield and greyfield projects include:

  • Make the properties more attractive for new buyers
  • Improve the quality of local surface and groundwater
  • Encourage reuse of property in urban areas rather than contributing to suburban sprawl into surrounding rural areas
  • Help revitalize the economies of local communities
  • Create employment opportunities in areas of low income and/or high unemployment
  • Increase local tax bases
  • Facilitate the use or reuse of existing infrastructure and facilities located in the proximity of the sites
  • Facilitate the creation, preservation, or addition to parks, greenways, open spaces, and other recreational properties 

PENNVEST funding can be leveraged with economic development authorities and investments groups for the remediation of drinking water and surface water as part of larger efforts for brownfield and greyfield development.

Select the Apply for PENNVEST Funding button to apply for Brownfield/Greyfield Redevelopment financing using the standard PENNVEST funding application.

Image of the Stehli Mill Brownfield Project

PENNVEST, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), provides low-cost financing to improve, replace, or repair individual on-lot sewage disposal systems or to connect, for the first time, to public sewer to meet public health and environmental safety standards.

Visit the Homeowner Sewage Program webpage for more information on how to obtain financing.

Picture of a septic system install.

 

 

What is the PENNVEST Financing Process?

The PENNVEST financing process occurs in steps.

  1. 1

    Planning consultation meeting

  2. 2

    Application submission

  3. 3

    Project ranking and review by PENNVEST, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED)

  4. 4

    Board approval for funding award

  5. 5

    Loan settlement

  6. 6

    Funds disbursement upon project cost accrual

  7. 7

    Final inspection

  8. 8

    Final amortization

  9. 9

    Loan closing

 

 

Services

Access PENNVEST services through the quick links below by selecting the arrow under the service you wish to explore.

Apply for PENNVEST Funding

The PV Portal is a fully automated online system that allows you to electronically process data and perform required actions during the application process for requesting funds from PENNVEST.

Apply for PENNVEST Funding

Manage My PENNVEST Funding Account

Recipients of PENNVEST funds must submit an ACH Authorization form upon completion of the loan settlement process and having secured a separate, non-interest bearing account.

Manage My PENNVEST Funding Account

Submit a PENNVEST Loan Servicing Signature Authorization / Change Form

Recipients of PENNVEST funds must submit a form listing their authorized signatories prior to submitting their first payment request.

Submit a PENNVEST Loan Servicing Signature Authorization / Change Form

Manage PENNVEST Funds Disbursement

The funds disbursement process is managed within the PV Portal. Disbursement is completed in three phases: Awaiting Settlement, Disbursement, and Project Close Out.

Manage PENNVEST Funds Disbursement

File a PENNVEST Annual Financial Statement/Audit Report

Recipients of PENNVEST funds must file their annual financial statement/audit report for each year during the life of their loan(s).

Request a Change to PENNVEST Funding Recipient Information

Significant changes within an entity receiving PENNVEST funds must be reported to PENNVEST as those changes will affect financial documentation.

Request a Change to PENNVEST Funding Recipient Information

Request a Letter of No Prejudice (LONP)

Entities may be required, in some circumstances, to begin construction or obtain materials prior to the completion of the settlement process. Prior to construction, entities must request and be granted a LONP.

Request a Letter of No Prejudice (LONP)

File a PENNVEST Accessibility Complaint

PENNVEST resources are created to be accessible by all individuals. If you experience accessibility challenges, let us know so we can provide help and address future issues for other users of our resources.

File a PENNVEST Accessibility Complaint

File a PENNVEST Right to Know Request

PENNVEST makes many documents available to the public through our website. The public may request information they cannot find through the PENNVEST Open Records Office.

File a PENNVEST Right to Know Request

 

 

Funding Programs

PENNVEST offers programs that provide further financing opportunities and flexibility, quicken loan turn-around time, or involve different application steps or requirements than our traditional loans. 

Advance Funding Program

PENNVEST financing is typically based on a reimbursement model. We realize, in some circumstances, entities may need to access funds for pre-planning activities such as feasibility studies, feasibility reports, preliminary design, and preliminary engineering costs so created this program for municipal start-up systems and entities within Environmental Justice areas to aid in pre-planning efforts.

Advance Funding Program

Credit Enhancement Assistance (CEA)

Through CEA, funding recipients are eligible to accept bond and / or loan guarantees for the repayment of third-party loans, bond issues, or other types of financing that qualified applicants may incur to finance eligible project costs.

Credit Enhancement Assistance (CEA)

Homeowner Sewage Program

PENNVEST, partnering with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), provides low-cost financing to improve, replace, or repair individual on-lot sewage disposal systems or for first-time connection to a public sewer.

Homeowner Sewage Program

Programmatic Financing (Pro-Fi)

Pro-Fi is an innovative financing vehicle that better aligns PENNVEST funding with a utility's annual (or multi-year) planning model. Through this program, funding is applied to a Capital Improvement Plan (entirely or in part) for a group of drinking water or wastewater projects.

Programmatic Financing (Pro-Fi)

Small Project Program

PENNVEST offers an expedited funding process for entities requesting up to $500,000 and serve communities with a population of 12,000 people or fewer and having no more than 1,000 hook-ups. Agriculture funding requests up to $500,000 may also utilize this program.

Small Project Program

Traditional Funding Program

This is the primary funding category used to support most PENNVEST project investments. This is available for all types of projects that demonstrate a water quality benefit with the exception of those projects that fall under the PENNVEST Homeowner Septic Program.

Traditional Funding Program

 

 

Resources, Tools, and Training

When beginning the funding process through PENNVEST, users may seek detailed information. This area provides tools that aid the decision-making process, reports and literature, application support documents and forms, a calendar of important PENNVEST activities, as well as training opportunities to educate users on how to apply for funding. 

Select the expand icon to the right of each category to view more detail.

Project and funding tools include:

  • Approved Project Search Map
  • Financial Assistance Simulator
  • Subsidy Calculator
  • County Cap Rates

Access current reporting and information on PENNVEST, such as:

  • Annual Reports
  • Financial Statements
  • Agency Literature 

Applicants may requirement supporting documents during the funding process such as:

  • Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Signage Graphics
  • Guidance Documents
  • Letter Templates
  • Terms and Conditions

The PENNVEST Calendar is a helpful resource to view important dates including:

  • PENNVEST-hosted events
  • Industry events in which PENNVEST is participating
  • Board meeting dates
  • Application cut-off dates

The PENNVEST Training Center is your go-to location for resources to educate you on PENNVEST funding and the financial assistance process.  The following resources are avaliable:

  • Recorded webinar trainings on a variety of PENNVEST topics
  • PDF slides of previous presentations
  • Details and registration links for upcoming PENNVEST-hosted events

 

 

Contact Information

PENNVEST is here to help. We've provided several options to help define the best contact method for your question or comment.

Visit the "Contact Us" page to:

  • View the address and phone number of the PENNVEST Offices
  • Contact the Legislative and Media Office
  • Contact Project Management
  • Find a contact by business process

View Contact Us Details

Link to the Contact Us webpage.

Submit a General Question Form

Link to the Submit a General Question form.

Submit an IT Support Request

Link to the Submit an IT Support form.

 

 

 

 

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