USE OF FUND.

(a) The fund may be used to provide low-interest loans to rural political subdivisions for:

(1) water or water-related projects and for water quality enhancement projects, including:

(A) the construction of infrastructure facilities for wholesale or retail water or sewer service;

(B) desalination projects;

(C) the purchase or lease of water well fields;

(D) property necessary for water well fields;

(E) the purchase or lease of rights to produce groundwater;

(F) onsite or wetland wastewater treatment facilities; and

(G) the interim financing of construction projects;

(2) water projects included in the state water plan or a regional water plan;

(3) development of groundwater sources and acquisition of water rights, including groundwater and surface water rights;

(4) the acquisition of retail public utilities as defined by Section 13.002;

(5) the acquisition of water supply or sewer service facilities or systems owned by municipalities or other political subdivisions;

(6) construction, acquisition, or improvement of water and wastewater projects to provide service to an economically distressed area;

(7) planning and design costs, permitting costs, and other costs associated with state or federal regulatory activities with respect to a project; and

(8) obtaining water or wastewater service supplied by other political subdivisions or financing the consolidation or regionalizing of neighboring political subdivisions, or both.

(b) The fund may be used to provide zero interest loans, negative interest loans, loan forgiveness, or grants for any purpose described by Subsection (a) under criteria developed by the board.

(c) The board may use money in the fund to contract for outreach, financial, planning, and technical assistance to assist rural political subdivisions for a purpose described by this section, including in obtaining and using financing from funds and accounts administered by the board.

(d) The fund may be used to buy down interest rates on loans.

(e) A rural political subdivision may enter into an agreement with a federal agency, a state agency, or another rural political subdivision to submit a joint application for financial assistance under this subchapter.

(f) A nonprofit water supply or sewer service corporation is exempt from payment of any sales tax that may be incurred under other law or ordinance for any project financed by the fund.

(g) The fund may be used as a source of revenue for the payment of principal and interest on water financial assistance bonds issued by the board if the proceeds of the sale of these bonds will be deposited into the rural water assistance fund.

(h) The board may coordinate its review of an application submitted under this subchapter with a federal agency to avoid duplication of efforts and costs.

(i) The board shall transfer back to the state water implementation fund for Texas any money disbursed to the fund as described by Section 15.993(7) if the requirements of Section 15.435 are satisfied.