Southside Water & Sewer awarded $1.25M grant

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County water and sewer district has received a $1.25 million grant to update its system.

The grant to the Southside Water and Sewer District was one of five announced Thursday by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. The DEQ awarded a total of $15,388,688 in construction grants to five drinking water and wastewater systems, including the $1,256,119 grant to the Bonner County district.

These construction projects are funded from American Rescue Plan Act funds that Idaho. Gov. Brad Little directed to DEQ in 2022.

“Water is our most valuable resource, and we absolutely must keep up the infrastructure to ensure water is clean and plentiful for this generation and future ones. That is why we made historic investments in water quality and quantity this year as part of my ‘Leading Idaho’ plan,” Little said. 

Little said the grants could also help keep residents' property taxes low.

"Property taxes are determined locally but the investments we made in water and other infrastructure needs at the state level help relieve the burden on local government to cover costs of projects, improving the chances property owners won’t be burdened with the costs,” Little said.

The SWSD grant will go to expand the system’s source water production and evaluate the system’s current storage options and backup power.

Also receiving grant funding are the cities of Bliss, $7,554,554, to build a water well and evaluation of senior water rights; Driggs, $1,531,330, rehabilitate its main spring source and associated work; Oakley, $673,814, construction of new well, well house, and storage tank; and Shoshone, $4,372,871 to construct a new water storage tank, install an electrical generator and other associated project.

In 2022, the State of Idaho approved plans to roll out $300 million in water and wastewater infrastructure project funding, benefiting communities across Idaho through DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund program. This program provides low-interest loans and grants to qualified recipients to improve their drinking water and wastewater facilities.