CCWUA President’s Message
January 2026
I’d like to share some important news with all CCWUA members:
On behalf of CCWUA, RCAC submitted a Letter of Intent for construction financing to the Idaho DEQ on January 12. Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information go to rcac.org. They assisted us, at no cost, in submitting our letter of intent for our Planning Grant, which provided us with $37,500 of Government assistance for completion of our Engineered System Plan required by DEQ. The following is information describing the selection process directly from the IDEQ website:
Loan Process
Our staff queries eligible systems annually to obtain information on projects eligible for loans. Interested systems must submit a letter of interest (LOI) for the following fiscal year between October and January. DEQ evaluates, rates, and ranks the LOIs for inclusion on the state’s priority list in the State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plans (IUP). Rating criteria focus on potential public health and environmental concerns, the long-term viability of the system (i.e., sustainability), and the status of the system’s compliance with state and federal regulations. Systems on the priority list are further refined based on the entity’s readiness to proceed. The refined list makes up the final fundable list. The IUPs, which outline the purpose and goals of the state’s drinking water and wastewater loan programs, explains how projects are selected for funding and identify priority projects eligible for state assistance. The grant priority lists and IUPs are issued for a public comment period and then approved by the Board of Environmental Quality annually, typically in May.
Regardless of the funding outcome, CCWUA is proceeding to get approval from DEQ for another well site. This will insure a steady supply of water even during the busiest parts of the year. It will also be owned by CCWUA! There is more work to be done to accomplish this. We will keep you posted!
Regards,
Alan Ameche
