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$635 million invested in wastewater projects

USDA invests in 122 projects in 42 states

November 20, 2019

3 Min Read

USDA is investing $635 million in 122 projects to improve water systems and wastewater handling services in rural communities in 42 states. USDA is funding the projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program.

“These investments will bring reliable infrastructure to rural communities. They will replace old, fragile, leaking water pipes with new ones and allow upgrades to water handling systems that are decades old, boosting water pressure and cutting water losses. Working with our partners, these investments create jobs and improve public health and safety,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald “DJ” LaVoy.

The projects announced today are in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Eligible applicants include rural cities, towns and water districts. The funds can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems in rural communities that meet population limits.

Below are examples of water and wastewater projects in rural communities that will receive funding:

  • The city of Amity in northwest Oregon will use a $1.6 million loan and a $1.7 million grant to upgrade the municipal water system, which can no longer reliably provide the volume of clean drinking water the community needs. The investment will be used to improve the water treatment intake system. Additionally, larger pumps will be installed in reservoirs and at the water treatment plant.

  • The Forest Park Tenants’ Association Cooperative in Jaffrey, N.H., will use a $2 million loan and a $1.4 million grant to make water, wastewater and stormwater improvements at a 116-unit housing park. All water mains and a section of the sewer main will be replaced, and a stormwater management system will be installed. The project also includes roadway improvements that will be funded through a Community Development Block Grant.

  • The city of Albia in Iowa will receive a $9 million loan and $813,000 grant to make improvements to wastewater treatment facilities.

  • Henryville Membership Sanitation Corporation will receive a $4.9 million loan to renovate and expand the existing wastewater treatment plant in Indiana.

  • The city of Fredonia, Kansas, will receive a $13.6 million grant to improve nearly 17 miles of the city's wastewater collection system. The wastewater collection system is in poor condition and is experiencing a large amount of inflow and infiltration that has caused wastewater overflows. In 2017, the city received a warning from the Kansas Department of Health and Enviroment for being out of compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

View the interactive RD Apply tool or contact one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices for application or eligibility information.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

Source: USDA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset. 

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