The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the lead stewardship agency for the protection of North Carolina's environmental resources. They administer regulatory programs designed to protect air quality, water quality, and the public's health, and also works to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy that fits North Carolina’s needs. DEQ also offers technical assistance to businesses, farmers, local governments, and the public and encourages responsible behavior with respect to the environment.
This grant program offers low-interest loans, Principal Forgiveness (PF), and grants for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure construction projects. It supports initiatives through various funds such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), State Reserve Program (SRP), and Community Development Block Grant – Infrastructure (CDBG-I) program. Specifically, it provides funding for projects addressing PFAS contamination in drinking water and wastewater through PF from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) DWSRF and CWSRF Emerging Contaminants funds. Additionally, it offers low-interest CWSRF loans for green projects, including stormwater quality infrastructure and stream restoration, and grants for drinking water and wastewater studies through Asset Inventory and Assessment (AIA) grants and Merger/Regionalization Feasibility (MRF) grants. The funding also covers various project types like drinking water and wastewater construction (excluding CDBG-I), stormwater construction, lead service line identification/replacement, and more, with funding limits defined by program type and eligibility.