MEDINA, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced that she has successfully secured $3.5 million for the city of Medina for water infrastructure improvements.

Heitkamp had been pressing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to include this funding in its FY 2018 work plan, which was released today.

Heitkamp worked with Medina community leaders and pressed the Army Corps for this funding on multiple occasions, including outreach to the Assistant Secretary of the Army and Army Corps Chief of Engineers in April, and in a phone call with the Assistant Secretary of the Army last month.

“Rural communities like Medina are dealing with aging infrastructure that needs urgent attention,” Heitkamp said. “I urged the Army Corps to approve this funding so Medina can begin to replace deteriorating pipes that are vulnerable to backups and harmful groundwater intrusion. With this funding, Medina can begin to tackle these issues and ensure its sewer and water infrastructure can reliably and safely serve the community for years to come.”

Medina’s sewer and water infrastructure was originally installed in the 1940’s, and the aging pipes are undersized and severely corroded. Infiltration of groundwater and sediment into the system is resulting in numerous challenges, including sewer backups. A proposed project to rehabilitate the system consists of 50 blocks of sanitary sewer replacement and 60 blocks of water main replacement, and the funding would support completion of the first phase of the project.