The USDA will provide loans and grants to eligible cities, towns and water districts across rural US to improve drinking water, wastewater and stormwater management projects
Image: USDA to provide $635m under Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Photo: Courtesy of Pexels/Pixabay.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an investment of $635m in 122 projects to improve water systems and wastewater handling services in rural communities across 42 states in the US.
Rural cities, towns and water districts are eligible for the funding programme. The funding can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems in rural communities that meet population limits.
The funding is being provided under the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program
The funding for the projects will be provided through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant programme.
USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Donald LaVoy said “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.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA is committed to partnering with rural communities to help them improve their infrastructure, because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Some of the projects which will be supported by the department’s programme include the city of Amity in northwest Oregon. The USDA will offer a $1.6m loan and a $1.7m grant to upgrade the municipal water system. The investment will be used to improve the water treatment intake system.
The Forest Park Tenants’ Association Cooperative in Jaffrey, New Hampshire will also be given a $2m loan and $1.4m grant to make improvements to water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure at a 116-unit housing park. The current system is no longer working properly, causing water loss and frequent sewage line blockages.
The USDA will also provide an $8.8m loan and a $7.8m grant to Starke, Florida to improve the city’s wastewater treatment facility, which is over 40 years old.