Funding of municipal wastewater measures

The funding of municipal wastewater measures in Styria supports public institutions, cooperatives, and companies in the construction, expansion, or renovation of public wastewater disposal facilities. Since January 1, 2026, applications can be submitted indefinitely. Investment costs, planning and construction supervision services, as well as construction costs, are funded with a state subsidy rate of 7% to 12%. The scope of funding is determined by the income and population index of the respective participating municipality. Additional increase amounts of up to 10% of the eligible costs can be granted for settlement water management measures of special state interest, such as supply and network security. The basis of the funding is the Environmental Funding Act and the State Guidelines for Settlement Water Management 2026.

Eligible for funding are municipalities, municipal associations, water cooperatives, as well as other enterprises that plan or operate public wastewater disposal facilities. Prerequisites for the grant are the application before the start of construction, proof of the most economically advantageous variant, reasonable fee collection, a cost coverage ratio of no more than 150%, and compliance with the funding guidelines of the federal and state governments. The decision criteria include economic efficiency, fee structure, and cost coverage ratio. For the application, a fully completed funding request, variant and cost evidence, fee regulations, and the cost and performance accounting of the last completed fiscal year are required. With this funding, the Styrian state government makes an important contribution to the protection of water bodies and sustainable infrastructure development in the region.