The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority on Thursday announced over $60.3 million in loans and grants awarded to 17 wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects throughout the state, including one in Wells.

The Wells funding, for about $2.2 million in total, includes about $975,000 for the first two phases of sanitary sewer reconstruction on Sixth Avenue Northwest, Fifth Avenue Southwest, Fifth Avenue Northwest and Broadway, as well as about $1.2 million for watermain replacement along Franklin Street, Fifth Avenue Southwest and Northwest and North Broadway.

MPFA awards funds to help cities build public infrastructure that protects the environment and public health, promoting economic growth. Since its inception in 1987, MPFA has financed nearly $6.1 billion in public infrastructure projects, impacting most every community in Minnesota.

“Funding from MPFA is a vital resource for many towns across the state, and an investment with an impact felt long after project completion,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek, chair of the MPFA. “Meeting Minnesota’s universal need for clean, drinkable, accessible water is a key step in empowering Minnesota’s economy for all and will continue to be a priority as we ensure our communities are able to flourish.”

The MPFA administers and oversees the financial management of revolving loan funds and other programs that help local units of government build facilities for clean water, drinking water and transportation infrastructure projects. Funding for these projects primarily comes from the MPFA’s Clean Water Revolving Fund (CWRF) and the Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF). The CWRF helps communities build or upgrade wastewater treatment plants to comply with discharge standards in the federal Clean Water Act, and the DWRF helps communities build drinking water storage, treatment and distribution systems that comply with standards in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Projects can also receive funding from MPFA’s Point Source Implementation Grant program, Water Infrastructure Fund and Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program. In some cases, funding can be provided by specials state appropriations, the USDA Office of Rural Development and local sources.