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Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack made an announcement in Washington on Oct. 14 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $272 million to improve rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for 270,000 people living in rural communities across 37 states and Puerto Rico. According to him, when government invests in developing rural infrastructure, fulfill the needs of rural communities and build opportunity and prosperity for people, it will really support the local economy by making rural communities attractive, economically viable and safe places to live and work, therefore helping to create and save jobs by attracting and retaining employers and workers.
This investment is done as one of 114 projects under the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program that USDA is financing. Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program provide funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and stormwater drainage to improve and modernize people and businesses in eligible rural areas with populations of 10,000 or less.
A $495,000 loan and a $296,000 grant to upgrade its municipal sewer system in the city of Russell, Iowa which will improve the quality of life for 554 people and a $14.5 million loan and a $3.6 million grant to replace its wastewater treatment plant in the village of Baldwin, improving service for nearly 4,000 people as the current plant is too small to support essential community facilities can be identified as some investments under this project.
