The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $499.4 million to Georgia to help drinking water and wastewater utilities recover from Hurricane Helene and improve resilience to future extreme weather. The funding targets communities affected by the 2024 storm, with projects aimed at repairing damage, hardening systems, and maintaining reliable service during severe events.
The award originates from a federal disaster funding package authorized in December 2024. Administration of the funds will flow through the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), which is implementing the program as Helene Resilience Funding (HRF). GEFA’s role includes project intake, evaluation, and preparation of awards for board approval.
According to GEFA, HRF dollars are organized across five categories to cover both long-term infrastructure needs and near-term emergency response:
- Wastewater: $124.9 million
- Decentralized wastewater (septic systems): $8.96 million
- Drinking water: $359.5 million
- Emergency wastewater response: $3.3 million
- Emergency drinking water response: $2.75 million
Program guidance specifies that applicants must demonstrate hurricane-related impacts and put forward projects that either reduce flood risk or measurably improve the resilience of water systems to sudden hydrologic changes or other natural disasters. GEFA opened a call for project proposals in autumn 2025 to prepare for final allocation decisions, and the agency has published a list of submissions it received.
The first round of individual project awards is scheduled to go before the GEFA board for consideration at its November meeting. Communities and utilities are expected to use funds for activities such as treatment plant hardening, distribution and collection system rehabilitation, backup power and control systems, and other resilience measures within the defined categories.
This award builds on recent federal support for water infrastructure in Georgia, including more than $37 million delivered in June for lead pipe removal under a federal infrastructure law. Hard‑hit areas, including communities served by the Valdosta water treatment plant, are expected to benefit from the HRF program as projects advance through GEFA’s approval process.