The City of Tiffin has been selected to receive funding from the Ohio EPA's Water Pollution Control Loan Fund's (WPCLF) Program Management Plan. $8,000,000 in design loans have been committed to Ohio EPA mandated Long Term Control Plan projects, dedicating $2,000,000 for each of the following;
- EQ Basin
- Main Interceptor
- Benner Interceptor
- CSO 9-13 & 15 Inflow Reduction Project
The City of Tiffin was also selected to receive $1,723,714 in Principal Forgiveness for the design of the EQ Basin Project. Principal Forgiveness is loaned money that is not required to be paid back over the term of the loan, thus, considered by most to be grant funding.
The City of Tiffin was 1 of 6 designated "Large" communities; population greater than 10,000, in the State of Ohio selected to receive Principal Forgiveness. To qualify for Principal Forgiveness, the community must meet a minimum of three of the four following socio-economic benchmarks;
- Median Household Income (MHI) less than or equal to the statewide average of $61,938
- Individuals with income below 200% of poverty level greater than or equal to the statewide average of 29.8%
- Unemployment rate greater than or equal to the statewide average of 5.2%
- Percent population change from 2010 - 2020 less than or equal to 150%
The WPCLF is a revolving loan fund designed to operate in perpetuity providing low interest rate loans and other forms of assistance for water resource protection and improvement projects. The Long Term Control Plan sewer projects are currently in the planning phase. The design phase for each project will begin in 2024.
The total estimated implementation cost of these projects is $117,793,613. Per the City of Tiffin's Ohio EPA mandated Long Term Control Plan, construction for the EQ Basin Project is required to begin by June 2025 and construction for the Main Interceptor, Benner Interceptor and CSO 9-13 & 15 Inflow Reduction Projects is required to begin by June 2026. Since Principal Forgiveness has been made available to Large Communities in 2023, the City of Tiffin has now secured two Principal Forgiveness awards from WPCLF totaling $5,723,714.
City Engineer Matt Watson expressed his gratitude for the funding, stating "I greatly appreciate the partnership the City of Tiffin has developed with WPCLF. The low interest loans and most importantly the Principal Forgiveness awards will allow the city to minimize future sewer rate increases as a result of the implementation of the city's Long Term Control Plan and necessary sewer maintenance projects."