New GEFA Grant Program Offers Funding for Water Infrastructure Planning
The Southwest Georgia Regional Commission (SWGRC) is excited to share a new funding opportunity for local governments across our region.
During the recent Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) WaterFirst Program Workshop hosted by the City of Griffin, GEFA announced the launch of its new Water Infrastructure Planning Program (WIPP). This pilot program is designed to help communities plan for future water, wastewater, and stormwater needs through state-funded planning initiatives.
The program will provide grants of up to $150,000 per project, with a required 10% local match. Communities may use in-kind contributions, such as staff time devoted to the project, toward meeting the match requirement. A total of $5 million is available statewide during this inaugural funding cycle.
WIPP is particularly exciting for small and rural communities that may need assistance developing plans and strategies to address aging infrastructure, water resource management, system sustainability, and future funding opportunities. It is important to note that WIPP funds are intended for planning activities only and cannot be used for engineering design or construction projects.
Eligible Planning Activities Include:
- Asset management planning
- Capital improvement planning
- Water and wastewater rate studies
- Stormwater funding and management planning
- Cybersecurity and security risk assessments
- Drought, resiliency, and emergency response planning
- Water conservation and efficiency planning
- Funding and financing strategies for water infrastructure projects
- Regionalization and system consolidation studies
- WaterFirst designation preparation
- Inflow and infiltration studies
- Water loss audits and control programs
- Watershed management planning
- Septic and septage planning studies
- Source water protection planning
- Energy efficiency audits and energy management planning
- Other innovative planning projects proposed through the pilot program
Applications are open now and will be accepted through August 31, 2026. GEFA will also host an informational webinar on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. for communities interested in learning more about the program.
In addition, GEFA has developed new online dashboards that allow local governments to explore water, sewer, and stormwater rate data across a variety of scenarios. These tools may be especially valuable for communities evaluating utility rates, planning future investments, or updating local planning documents.
