Georgia is getting nearly half a billion dollars to fix water systems battered by Hurricane Helene, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarding the state $499,385,000 to help communities rebuild drinking water, wastewater, and septic infrastructure damaged during the 2024 storm. Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the award, saying the funds will accelerate recovery efforts and leave Georgia better equipped to withstand future storms and protect residents.
The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, headquartered in Atlanta, will administer the money, which flows from the 2025 American Relief Act — the same law cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the source of $1.23 billion in Clean Water State Revolving Fund funds and $1.77 billion in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund funds available to six states — to restore water infrastructure, according to reporting from Valdosta Today.
U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock announced the award on Thursday, framing it as bipartisan disaster relief legislation aimed at fixing infrastructure vulnerabilities that Hurricane Helene exposed, according to the Office of Senator Jon Ossoff. The award includes $2.75 million for emergency drinking water response and $3.3 million for emergency wastewater response.
How the Money Is Divided
The Helene-related funding awarded to GEFA is distributed across five funding categories, per Valdosta Today's reporting. Drinking water resilience projects received the largest share at $359.5 million, while wastewater infrastructure got $124.9 million and decentralized wastewater systems, such as septic upgrades, received $8.96 million. Two smaller pools were set aside for emergencies: $2.75 million for emergency drinking water response and $3.3 million for emergency wastewater response.
Eligible capital projects must reduce the risk and vulnerability of flood damage and enhance the resilience of drinking water and wastewater systems against rapid hydrologic changes or future natural disasters, according to the same report. Communities applying for Helene Resilience Funding must also demonstrate direct impacts from the hurricane and propose a specific eligible project rather than a general infrastructure wish list.
Program Requirements
GEFA's implementation guidance for Helene Resilience Funding describes the program's requirements, according to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. The guidance applies to communities seeking support for eligible water-infrastructure projects.
The agency's guidelines outline additional program requirements, however.
Timeline and Review Process
GEFA issued its call for projects in fall 2025, and separate documentation says the application period ran through the end of December, according to Discover Gordon County. GEFA is identified as the funding administrator for the program.
The first group of individual project awards will be presented to the GEFA Board of Directors for consideration at its meeting in November, per Valdosta Today. That board review will mark the first concrete look at which Georgia municipalities land funding from the nearly $500 million pool.
Part of a Broader Pattern of State Investment
This isn't GEFA's only recent infusion of capital into local water systems. Separate GEFA records list $74,740,215 in financing for 14 Georgia communities — including Alma, Blakely, and Leesburg — for general water pollution control and meter upgrades, according to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. GEFA, which provides financing for energy, land, and water projects to local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, has approved almost $6 billion in financial commitments since 1986.
The scale of the new federal award reflects Georgia's ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene. The storm's late-September 2024 landfall prompted recovery efforts across the state. With the new EPA award, state and federal officials say Georgia communities will be better positioned to withstand the next major storm before it strikes.
