Counties scramble for stimulus funds for water projects - Washington Business Journal:

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The money, announced by the last includes $30.8 million for wastewater projectsand $19.7 million for drinkingt water upgrades. Although not as large as the highwau projects being funded by the stimulus the work still will create dozens of construction jobs The money is being channeled through the Clean for the wastewate projects and the Drinking Water StateRevolvingt Fund. The money, which is being administerex by thestate , must be spent by Februargy 2010 or it will be redistributedr to other states. Ordinarily, thosd two funds provide low-interest loans to the counties for municipa lwater projects.
But, because the fundw are part of the federalstimulus package, theres will be zero interest and the principaol will be forgiven, which means the moneu will be free. The Big Island plands to go out to bid in the next four to eighty weeks for its two wastewater projects the replacementof large-capacity cesspools in Honokaa and Komohana The stimulus will fund $6.2 million for the Honokaa with the balance of $6 millionn coming from the stat revolving fund. Stimulus money will covedr the entire cost ofthe $1.3t5 million Komohana Heights project, said Lono Tyson, directorf of the Hawaii County Department of Environmentaol Management.
The two projects will generate approximately two dozen depending on how many people thecontractors hire, he There may be other jobs generatefd by people choosing to hook up to the countgy sewer system after the cesspools are Fifteen to 20 contractors attended a recent pre-bid meeting for the Tyson said. “There’s a lot of a lot of interest,” he said. “Thesed people also know that, becauswe it’s stimulus-driven, these projects are going to Kauai Countyofficials haven’t gottem that far for the expansiom of the Waimea Wastewater Treatment Plan.
“We’re scrambling to get our RFP packagw put together for saidEd Tschupp, chief of the county’ss wastewater division. The stimulus will fund $7.5 million of the totalp $12 million cost of the design-build project, and probably will generates about 40 jobs overthe two-yeaer construction period, he said. “It’s a significangt project for the Tschupp said. “It’s probably the largest projectg that the wastewater managemenf division has managed ina while.” Other wastewater projects receiving stimulus funds are the firstr phase of the Waimalu sewer rehabilitation on Oahu, which will receive $7.
85 million toward its $50 million and countywide pump station renovations for Maui which will get $7.5 millionj toward the $9.5 million cost. Drinking water which will receivebetween $1.6 milliojn and $4.9 million, includer replacement of water mains in Pacifid Heights and Kapahulu on Oahu and in Waimea Canyomn on Kauai; water line replacements in Lihue on Kauaj and in Wailuku and Kihei on a water tank replacement in West Olinda on and the development of a well in South Kohala on the Big