The U.S. Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced a $116 million effort to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure for 171,000 rural Americans in 23 states.
USDA is working with local partners to provide financing for 49 water and environmental infrastructure projects. The funding is being provided through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program.
It can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.
Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley called the funding “foundational to health, safety and economic development.”
One of the larger projects includes a $2.3 million loan for Lake City, Arkansas, to modernize its wastewater treatment and collection system, which serves more than 2,000 residents.
Another effort in rural Northwest Indiana includes a $3.4 million loan and a $1.7 million grant to connect three unserved areas of the city to the sewer system and to replace the main water lift station.
