Washington, D.C. – Rural water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the country will benefit from $462 million in financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The agency is funding 161 projects that will improve the infrastructure that provides safe drinking water and wastewater management facilities in small towns and cities.USDA will loan $53.58 million to the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association to construct a 6 million gallons per day (MGD) water treatment plant, transmission main piping, a new elevated storage tank, and other improvements.
Some other projects being funded are:
- The city of Dunsmuir, California, will receive a $7.93 million loan and a $2.28 million grant to replace and upgrade the city’s water distribution system. This project will include replacing 25,000-feet of failing, problematic waterlines and 40 new fire hydrants;
- Mississippi’s Alcorn County Water Association will get a $7.28 million loan and $4.03 million grant to make improvements to the water system including water treatment plants, distribution system, and replacement of meters.
- In North Bend, Washington, the Sallal Water Association will use a $6.5 million loan to construct a reservoir, a new headquarters building and a new well;
- Florida’s Charlotte Harbor Water Association will use a $6.15 million loan and a $4.5 million grant to make improvements and increase capacity by rehabilitating and expanding its water treatment facility; and,
- The Sanbornville Precinct in New Hampshire will use a $2.9 million loan and a $695,885 grant to upgrade the source pump house facility and replace 2.3 miles of failing bituminous-coated steel water mains.
Funds will come from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.