USDA Rural Development officials recently announced a $1.2 billion investment to rebuild and improve water infrastructure for 936,000 rural Americans living in 46 states.

USDA is providing financing for 234 water and environmental infrastructure projects through its Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Funding can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

In Minnesota, USDA loans and grants totaling $48.14 million will be used in the following communities for specific projects:

• city of Hackensack, $205,000 loan, $630,000 grant. Funds will be used to replace aged water lines and resurface the town’s water tower. The water distribution system has experienced numerous breaks due to aged infrastructure. Total project cost is $1.44 million. Additional funding of $600,000 is coming through the State of Minnesota Small Cities Development Grant.

• city of Mahnomen, $11.9 million loan. Funds will be used to improve water, sewer and stormwater systems in Mahnomen on the White Earth Reservation. The existing water mains were installed more than 60 years ago and are in poor condition. Sanitary sewer lines were installed in the 1940s and 1950s, and they experience a large amount of inflow and infiltration. Total project cost is $12.1 million. Additional funding of $173,000 will be contributed by the city of Mahnomen.

• city of Tracy, $8.4 million loan, $4.46 million grant. Funds will be used to complete the third phase of an ongoing water, wastewater and sewer infrastructure project in town. Existing water and sanitary sewer mains consist of the original clay piping. Total funding for this phase is $21.3 million. Additional funding is $3.4 million through the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority Water Infrastructure Fund and a $5.1 million applicant contribution.

• city of Deerwood, $695,000 loan, $965,000 grant. Funds will be used to build a new water tower and install well and water line replacements. The existing water storage tank is more than 100 years old. Total project cost is $2.3. million. Additional state assistance was provided through a $600,000 state Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Small Cities Development Grant.

• Farwell-Kensington Sanitary District, $325,000 loan, $1.1 million grant. Funds will be used to replace an aging water tower, expand the current water treatment plant, replace an existing well and replace a water main that violates 10 state standards. Total project cost is $2.69 million. Additional funding is coming from a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant through Housing and Urban Development and a $665,000 loan through the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority’s Water Infrastructure Fund.

• city of Revere, $161,000 loan, $402,000 grant. Funds will be used to replace aged distribution lines, connect the city of Revere’s water system to Red Rock Rural Water System (the regional system in southwestern Minnesota) and install water meters. Total project cost is $1.2 million. Additional funding is coming from a $12,500 SEARCH (Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households) Grant and a $600,000 Small Community Development Grant through the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.

• city of Ostrander, $757,000 loan, $2.8 million grant. Funds will be used to construct a new elevated 50,000-gallon storage tank, replace current sewer and water distribution systems and install new remote-read water meters. Total project cost is $3.96 million. An additional $380,000 in funding comes through the State of Minnesota.

• city of Pease, $100,000 loan, $520,000 grant. Funds will be used to replace the water tower, a well and water distribution lines and meters. Total project cost is $2.64 million. Additional funding includes a $2 million Section 569 grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a $30,000 SEARCH Grant.

• city of Onamia, $1.2 million loan, $1.1 million grant. Funds will be used to pay for the first phase of water and wastewater infrastructure improvements, such as the installation of main line looping, new valves and hydrants, and a water tower pressure transducer; relining pipe; manhole rehabilitation; lift station improvements; and installing a new generator. Total project cost is $3.1 million. Additional funding comes from a $256,000 grant provided through the State of Minnesota Water Infrastructure program and a $600,000 grant provided through the Minnesota Small Cities Development program.

• Red Rock Rural Water, $1.4 million loan. Funds will be used to rehabilitate three water towers and replace 1,600 water meters in the Red Rock Rural Water System.

• city of Northome, $2.54 million loan, $1.52 million grant. Funds will be used to make water and sewer system infrastructure improvements. Total project cost is $4.7 million. An additional $600,000 will be provided through a State of Minnesota Small Cities Development Grant.

• city of Clinton, $4.6 million loan, $2.4 million grant. Funds will be used to fix chemical contamination and structural damage in an existing water facility; replace a well, and water main looping with new valves and hydrants; and add a backup generator and a new electrical and motor control center. Wastewater system improvements include replacing a deficient sanitary sewer main and manholes to accommodate existing sanitary sewer collection grades, a new lift station, a portable generator, and repairs to the existing stabilization pond. Total project cost is $7.56 million. An additional $600,000 grant comes from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Small Cities Development program.

Source: USDA