The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is starting to give out money from the $787 billion federal stimulus plan: Four states will receive a combined $297 million for clean water and wastewater treatment projects.

The EPA said Thursday the money will go to existing programs called the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Tribal Clean Water & Drinking Water Set-Aside programs.

Alaska is set to get $43 million, Idaho $39 million, Oregon $73 million and Washington $111 million. American Indian tribes in Alaska will get $27 million. Another $4.4 million will go to tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

The states are to use the money to provide loans for upgrading public drinking water and wastewater systems as well as other water quality projects, the EPA said.

Water utilities are notorious for being slow adopters of new technologies. So it remains to be seen how water technology developers might benefit from the government money. There is no shortage of companies working on novel ways to treat, purify, re-use and conserve water, however (see Greentech Media’s three-part series on water).

The EPA said it’s working with each of the states to come up with a list of projects that will benefit from the new funds. The public will have a chance to comment on those proposed projects before a final list is created. The EPA said the states are likely to receive the money starting in April.