AUSTIN – For the first time since 2018, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has committed financial assistance through the Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP) for water and wastewater improvements. More than $86 million in financing and grant funding was approved for projects across the state, including several first-time wastewater service projects.
EDAP funding is meant for economically distressed residential areas where water and sewer services do not exist or current systems are inadequate to meet state standards. To qualify, the median household income of the political subdivision cannot exceed 75 percent of the state average.
Funding for EDAP depends on legislative appropriations, through which the TWDB received $100 million for the 2022–23 biennium. Seven entities received commitments for a total of eight projects.
One such project will provide first-time wastewater service to the Montana Vista community in eastern El Paso County, where residents have historically relied on failing septic systems. The project, which will be accomplished in three phases, first received EDAP funding in 2014 to transition residents to a centralized wastewater collection system and decommission the existing septic tanks. Phase I is nearly complete, and the TWDB approved $28.9 million in EDAP funding for Phase II last month.
The agency anticipates committing the remaining funds over the next few months.
Since EDAP was established in 1989 by the 71st Texas Legislature, the TWDB has committed more than $900 million in grants and loans through the program.