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Program Information

CWIFP logo: a waterdrop over a green circle. Text reads: Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program, an innovative approach to project financing.

Eligibility

 

 

Graphic indicating that CWIFP project funding is available for safety projects to maintain, upgrade, and repair non-Federally owned dams

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Eligible Borrowers

  • To be eligible for CWIFP credit assistance, a prospective borrower must be either a Local, State or Tribal Government, a Private Corporation, or a State Revolving Fund Program.  Additionally multiple entities may apply for a single project under a joint application.

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Eligible Costs

Eligible costs include costs associated with the state of good repair of the dam. This includes:

  • Development-phase activities ​
  • Construction, reconstruction, rehab, and replacement activities.
  • Acquisition of property used to mitigate environmental impacts of eligible projects. ​
  • Capitalized interest, reserve funds, issuance costs, and other project carrying costs during construction. ​

Development-phase or related work completed prior to CWIFP application is eligible and can be included in the total project costs. CWIFP can provide credit assistance of up to 49% of the total project costs. Depending on budget availability, CWIFP can provide credit assistance of up to 80% of the total project costs for projects that serve economically disadvantaged communities.

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Graphic indicating that projects must be creditworthy; technically sound; $20M or more; environmentally acceptable; compliant; and publicly supported.

Eligible Projects

CWIFP is available for credit assistance to dam safety projects that support:

 Flood damage reduction, hurricane, and storm damage reduction

To qualify under this eligibility, the project must demonstrate that it reduces risks to public safety, property damage, and environment degradation, from future riverine and coastal storm flooding including water-related effects of a coastal storm.

Example dam safety projects that meet this eligibility include repair, replacement, modification, or upgrade to a dam or its components i.e. dam embankments, inlet and discharge works, spillways, spillway and natural outlet channels, control gates and valves, control tower, and access roads and bridges. Other examples include seismic retrofits, sediment removal, and scour protection.

 Environmental restoration

To qualify under the eligibility, the project must demonstrate ecosystem restoration. This includes improving degraded ecosystem structure, function, and processes to a less degraded, more natural condition. Restored ecosystems should mimic, as closely as possible, conditions that would occur in the area in the absence of human changes to the landscape and hydrology. Ecosystem restoration is partially or fully reestablishing the attributes of a naturalistic, functioning, and self-regulating system.

Example dam safety projects that meet this eligibility include dam removal and restoration of natural floodplains, wetlands, and waterways; dam modifications like partial dam removal and spillway modifications, waterway modifications, fish passage, barriers to prevent undesirable species, and floodplain reconnection; and sediment removal with waterway restoration.

 Coastal or inland harbor navigation improvement, or inland and intracoastal waterways navigation improvement.

To qualify under this eligibility, the project must demonstrate improvements to navigation features connected or integral to a dam safety project. Navigation system includes channels, harbors, and waterways to provide safe, reliable, and efficient waterborne transportation systems.

Example dam safety projects that meet this eligibility include channel improvements related to the safe operation of a dam, dam surfaces for lock systems, and/or jetties or breakwaters that protect a dam. Dredge material disposal and sediment basins which support safe operations of a dam may also be eligible.


Non-federal projects that have received federal appropriations for construction may not be eligible. *The focus is on projects that are not federally authorized.

*Federal authorization restriction further explained:

The WIFIA authorization does not restrict Federally authorized projects to be eligible under WIFIA.  Current criteria issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding projects authorized by Congress to be constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers or the Bureau of Reclamation prevents these projects from being eligible for WIFIA funding.  This restriction appears in the footnotes of the Federal Register notice on 30 June 2020 which can be found here.

CWIFP project eligibility requirements are derived from CWIFP's authorization (33 USC Ch. 52) and appropriations (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, P.L. 116–260; Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, P.L. 117-58; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, P.L. 117-103; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, P.L. 117-328).

If you have project eligibility questions or need to discuss or confirm project qualifications, please feel free to email the CWIFP team at CWIFP@usace.army.mil to discuss.

 

September 9, 2024 - The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today announced the first set of proposals being invited to apply for loans under the new Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP). CWIFP is a new federal financing program to provide low-cost, long-term, flexible loans for safety projects to maintain, upgrade, and repair non-federal dams.

New Army Civil Works program announces 18 proposals are being invited to apply for federal financing for non-federal dam safety project