Water Quality Revolving Loan Fund (Clean Water State Revolving Fund) (MDE Clean Water Loans): Status and Deadlines for Maryland Applicants

What it funds: Low-interest loans for water quality projects, including wastewater upgrades and nonpoint source work such as stormwater practices tied to MS4 permits, stream restoration and shoreline erosion control. MDE's priority scoring gives credit for mitigation, adaptation and resiliency co-benefits, and its FFY2026 plan funds an Ellicott City flood-mitigation pond.
Who can apply: Local governments for wastewater (point source) projects; public and private entities for nonpoint source projects such as stormwater and stream or shoreline work.
Match: Loan, not a grant: interest at 50% of the market rate (25% for disadvantaged communities) for up to 30 years within the asset's useful life, plus an annual administrative fee based on 5% of debt service; some projects get principal forgiveness.
Award: No per-project cap is published; MDE's final FFY2026 plan allocates about $287.5 million to clean water capital projects.

How Maryland applicants apply

Apply through MDE's annual water infrastructure financing solicitation. Wastewater (treatment works) projects must be in the county water and sewer plan and in a Priority Funding Area or have an exception, and MDE reviews the borrower's finances (410-537-3908).

The program on mde.maryland.gov

Dates

December 1, 2026 · Annual application window expected to open (MDE says applications reopen in December 2026) (expected)in 32 days · source
January 31, 2027 · Typical last day of the annual application window; not yet confirmed for this round (expected)in 93 days · source

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What has changed

February 7, 2026The 2025–26 application window (opened December 1, 2025) closed; ranked projects formed the FFY2026/SFY2028 funding list. (mde.maryland.gov)

Sources

Checked against the funder’s own pages on October 29, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the funder before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

As of October 29, 2026: Opens soon. MDE's water infrastructure financing office says its solicitation is closed and will reopen in December 2026. The last window ran December 1, 2025 to February 7, 2026.

Low-interest loans for water quality projects, including wastewater upgrades and nonpoint source work such as stormwater practices tied to MS4 permits, stream restoration and shoreline erosion control. MDE's priority scoring gives credit for mitigation, adaptation and resiliency co-benefits, and its FFY2026 plan funds an Ellicott City flood-mitigation pond.

Local governments for wastewater (point source) projects; public and private entities for nonpoint source projects such as stormwater and stream or shoreline work.

Loan, not a grant: interest at 50% of the market rate (25% for disadvantaged communities) for up to 30 years within the asset's useful life, plus an annual administrative fee based on 5% of debt service; some projects get principal forgiveness.

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