With WFX’s expertise, Wimberley is advancing infrastructure solutions to meet immediate and longer term needs and build a more resilient water and wastewater system, which will have a significant impact on protecting the local economy that is dependent on environmental flows from Jacob’s Well. The partnership that is being developed will advance One Water solutions that will improve utility operational efficiency and serve to enhance the quality of life for the community.” David Baker, Executive Director, Wimberley Valley Watershed Association
Key Accomplishments
In less than two years, WFX has established a strong and productive organizational model, delivering success in pre-development and building collaborative partnerships with state and federal agencies to find funding options that intersect with regional water supply considerations and affordability. Representative accomplishments over the last 18 months include several communities successfully funded, averaging more than $7 million per project:
Unlocked water and wastewater infrastructure funding with two-predevelopment loans that supported the construction of a 1.5 MGD water treatment plant in Illinois that provides drinking water to six communities, and assisted a community in California reach construction stage to repair an existing water treatment facility and construct a new well.
Assisted Hazlehurst, Mississippi to access forgivable loans of state funding for water infrastructure and access. WFX continues to provide financial analysis, rate structuring, and project management support to Hazlehurst.
Catalyzed regional water and wastewater infrastructure collaborations with 20-25 communities in West Texas, including Presidio County, where seven communities and nearby colonias are working together to implement regional solutions with first-time water access, upgrading dilapidated infrastructure, strengthening watershed resilience, and instituting groundwater monitoring. These efforts have resulted in an early success of substantial grant and loan funding from the Texas Water Development Board’s Economically Disadvantaged Area’s Program.
Organized and led statewide workshops with state, NGO, and local leaders. The first workshops in Texas and Mississippi have led to partnerships, a pipeline of projects, and in Texas have energized a diverse policy consortium focusing on project development and policy changes.
In partnership with state regulatory agencies, built a substantial pipeline of more than one hundred communities in Texas and Mississippi in need of support. Built proprietary financial and analytical tools and databases focused on funding structures, rates, and affordability to create sustainable results and inform communities of relevant financial benchmarks.
WFX believes its approach is establishing a track record of how small, rural, and underserved communities can access new federal infrastructure investments. WFX’s model is purposefully holistic, utilizing a watershed and regional lens to help communities pursue sustainable infrastructure solutions that meet environmental, public health, and economic needs.
