What does this program do?
This program helps private lenders provide affordable financing to improve access to clean, reliable water and waste disposal systems in rural areas. Affordable terms and good practices can save tax dollars and may be necessary for businesses to locate or expand operations.
Who may apply for this program?
Eligible applicants include lenders with the legal authority, financial strength, and experience to operate a successful lending program. Examples of eligible lenders include:
- Federal and state-chartered banks
- Savings and loan institutions
- Farm Credit banks with direct lending authority
- Credit unions
- Additional nonregulated lending institutions approved by USDA
Who can qualify for these loan guarantees?
Eligible borrowers are:
- State and local governments
- Non-profit organizations
- Federally recognized Tribes
What areas are eligible ?
- Cities, villages, towns, townships, and federally recognized Tribal lands with fewer than 50,000 residents
- You can check eligible areas at this link: tinyurl.com/WEPRuraleligibility
What facilities are eligible?
- Drinking water
- Sanitary sewer
- Solid waste disposal
- Stormwater disposal
How can funds be used?
Funds can be used for construction projects and can cover costs such as engineering fees and land, legal, and environmental analysis costs.
Funds can also be used for nonconstruction projects, like:
- Equipment to operate, maintain, or protect facilities
- Professional service fees for engineering and environmental services
- Debt refinancing
For a comprehensive list of eligible uses, see Code of Federal Regulations 7CFR Part 5001, available at this link: tinyurl.com/RD-7CFR-5001.
How do we get started?
- Interested borrowers can ask their lender about the USDA Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantee program. Information is available at this link: tinyurl.com/WEPWWDLG.
- Interested lenders can contact the USDA Rural Development Community Programs director in the state where the proposed project is located. A list of state offices is available at this link: tinyurl.com/RDStateOffices.
Who can answer questions?
- Your local USDA Rural Development office can help. A list of offices is available at this link: tinyurl.com/RDStateOffices.
- You will find information about USDA Rural Development’s OneRD Loan Guarantee initiative at this link: tinyurl.com/USDA-1RD-LG.
What governs this program?
Code of Federal Regulations, 7 CFR 5001, available at this link: tinyurl.com/RD-7CFR-5001.
NOTE: Because information changes, always consult official program instructions or contact your local USDA Rural Development office for help. A list is available at this link: tinyurl.com/RDStateOffices. You will find additional RD program resources at rd.usda.gov. Information about other USDA programs and services is available at this link: ask.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Application Documents:
- RD 5001-1, Application for Loan and Guarantee
- SAM.gov registration
- Applicant’s Organizational Documents (Nonprofit Organizations Only)
- Lender’s disclosure of conflicts of interest, if applicable
- Environmental Assessment - Please contact your local area office to determine the level of environmental assessment required. Early submittal recommended. Funding cannot be determined until environmental review is complete.
- Preliminary Engineering Report – in a format required by the lender
- Lender’s credit evaluation
- Applicant’s most recent financial statements or audit (not more than 12 months old) Forms RD 442-2 and RD 442-3 or similar format may be used
- Proposed loan agreement
- Appraisal (if required by lender)
- Credit Report (if required by lender)
NOTE: Please select your state in the dropdown menu above to find the state office contact information and speak to a program specialist before attempting to fill out any forms or applications. This will save you time in completing your application.
Individual states may have particular requirements based on state and local regulations. Please contact the local RD office in the state where your project is located.
Environmental Assessments
Air Quality
Project emissions, including those created by potential secondary beneficiaries, shall be examined for conformance to the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Iowa has two "non-attainment" areas. The following link from EPA lists all the nonattainment areas: air quality
For questions contact Air Quality Helpline with Iowa DNR: (877) AIR-IOWA (247-4692).
If the proposal will emit large quantities of air pollutants, contact your Rural Development loan specialist and provide the information from Iowa DNR's Air Quality Section. Specialists will review the information to ascertain the level of environmental review required.
To determine emissions from other facilities in the project area check the EPA website at www.epa.gov/echo/, then:
1. Click on "Air data", in the Facility Characteristics check the "other minor" box.
2. In the Geographic Location boxes click on region 7, State IOWA, and fill in county name, and search. Print out page for file.
Air permits can be viewed at: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f57d1f8a00f1444596d5045ee6dc6798/page/Air-Quality-Bureau/
Approved Coastal Zone Management Area
Iowa does not have any coastal zone management areas. http://coast.noaa.gov/czm/mystate/
Coastal Barrier included in Coastal Barrier Resources System Natural Landmark
Iowa does not have any coastal barrier areas. http://www.fws.gov/cbra/Maps/index.html#LocatorMaps.
Natural Landmark
The National Park Service web site can be found at: www.nps.gov. Under “Find a Park,” click on Iowa to locate national monuments, national historic sites, and historic trails.
Place printout from the website in the file.
Prime Forest Lands
There are no national prime forest lands in Iowa.
For State Forests: Check the DNR website at https://www.iowadnr.gov/places-go/state-forests
Place a printout from the website in the file.
Prime Rangeland
Iowa does not have any prime range land areas.
Sole Source Aquifer Recharge Area
Iowa does not have any designated sole source aquifers as referenced at the EPA website www.epa.gov/safewater/sourcewater/pubs/qrg_ssamap_reg7.pdf
Wild or Scenic Rivers
Iowa does not have any Wild and Scenic River as defined under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S.C. 1271) as referenced at the National Park Service website www.rivers.gov.
The State of Iowa and the Nationwide Rivers Inventory have designated several areas as protected waterways. View the list at http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/nri/states/ia.html.
Wilderness (designated or proposed under the Wilderness Act)
Iowa has no national wilderness areas.
You may access information national wilderness areas and related state areas at the following sites:
WILDERNESS AREA: www.wilderness.net
The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, and National Park Service are charged with stewardship of Wilderness Area lands while providing for appropriate human use and enjoyment. To find out more about these special places, see the site above, which is jointly managed by the University of Montana and the four federal agencies that manage wilderness areas. This is an interactive site where you may type in an address to determine if there is a wilderness area within the area of a proposed project.
• In the left column select “Maps, Data and Images” / select Maps / Under “Online Maps” in the first paragraph, select “GIS Maps” / top header of the website, Choose one of two options for your search.
• Zoom by Typing or Select a Wilderness.
• Find a Place / City / Road.
• Select “Go” which takes you to the area of interest – Along the bottom of the page is the color codes for “Wilderness Managed By ……………”
• Gear symbol in the top right hand corner allows you to save and / or print the map as a source document for the environmental report.
STATE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA: http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/wmamaps/index.html
• Click on the appropriate county on the left-hand side of the screen.
To view states preserves: https://www.iowadnr.gov/places-go/state-preserves
There are no other additional requirements at the national level. If there are additional state-specific requirements they will be listed above.
Kate Sand
Community Programs Director in Iowa
phone: 515-284-4669
iowacommunityprograms@usda.gov
Area Office Contacts
Area 1 - Iowa Falls Area Office
840 Brooks Road
Iowa Falls, IA 50126
Phone: 641-648-5181 Ext. 4 Fax: 866-255-6573
Counties Served: Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hardin, Marshall, Mitchell, Tama and Worth
Area 2 - Waverly Area Office
1510 3rd Street, SW
Waverly, IA 50677
Phone: 319-352-1715 Ext. 4 Fax: 866-255-6573
Counties Served: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek
Area 3 - Tipton Area Office
127 West South Street
Tipton, IA 52772
Phone: 563-886-6006 Ext. 4 Fax: 866-255-6573
Counties Served: Benton, Cedar, Clinton, Dubuque, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Scott
Area 4 - Mt. Pleasant Area Office
709 S. Iris Street, Suite 103
Mount Pleasant, IA 52641
Phone: 319-986-5800 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2237
Counties Served: Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Van Buren, and Washington
Area 5 - Albia Area Office
1709 South "B" Street
Albia, IA 52531
Phone: 641-932-3031 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2237
Counties Served: Appanoose, Davis, Jasper, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Poweshiek, Wapello, and Wayne
Area 6 - Indianola Area Office
909 East 2nd Avenue, Suite C
Indianola, IA 50125
Phone: 515-961-5365 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2238
Counties Served: Adair, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Madison, Polk, Ringgold, Union, and Warren
Area 7 - Atlantic Area Office
511 West 7th Street
Atlantic, IA 50022
Phone: 712-243-2107 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2238
Counties Served: Adams, Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Shelby, and Taylor
Area 8 - Le Mars Area Office
1100 12th Street SW, Suite C
Le Mars, IA 51031
Phone: 712-546-5149 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2245
Counties Served: Cherokee, Crawford, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury
Area 9 - Storm Lake Area Office
1619 North Lake Avenue
Storm Lake, IA 50588
Phone: 712-732-1851 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2245
Counties Served: Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Greene, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, and Sac
Area 10 - Humboldt Area Office
1301 6th Avenue North, Suite 1
Humboldt, IA 50548
Phone: 515-332-4411 Ext. 4 Fax: 855-251-2245
Counties Served: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Story, Webster, Winnebago, and Wright
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