Big cities have tax revenue to help finance needed infrastructure repairs, upgrades, and new construction. Rural areas, thinly populated and with often wide-open territory, lack many of the resources population centers enjoy. Luckily, the federal government has a variety of programs to help.

The USDA (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) is investing $828 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in 43 states. About 220 projects will help improve rural water infrastructure for 785,000 residents. The projects are being funded through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.

The Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program provides funding for clean, reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas with populations of 10,000 or less.

Some examples from the latest round of grants and loan include the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi located in Washington County; Penn. which is receiving a $10.6 million loan to construct a pump station, install a diversion chamber, install 1,500-ft. of 18-in. gravity sewer line, and construct a shared force main. Also, in Pennsylvania, Newport Borough Water Authority in Perry County is receiving a $5 million loan to replace customer service meters, the addition and associated piping of two production meters at the filtration plant, and upgrades to the chemical feed equipment.

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County-Avonmore is receiving a $1.2 million loan and $1.8 million in grants to construct a new SBR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) treatment system capable of handling peak flow rates and eliminating sanitary sewer overflows.

In Kansas, Russell – Rural Water District #3 will use a $5.014 million loan and a $2.783 million grant to replace existing water mains and improve the system hydraulics, allowing the system to operate off one centralized elevated storage tank and one standpipe. Meanwhile, Chapman, Kansas will use a $3.368 million loan to improve wastewater treatment infrastructure. Once complete, the city will be back in compliance with the National Pollution Discharge Environment System permit to continue protecting the groundwater and streams from contamination, as well as provide efficient and sustainable wastewater service for the city’s 1,393 residents.

In the Northeast, Epping, N.H. is receiving more than $13 million in loans and grants to decommission two sludge lagoons that pose a public health hazard. After the lagoons are emptied, the town will install a solar array in their place to power its modern wastewater treatment facility.  Bridgewater, Vermont will use $789,000 in loans and grants to replace aging components of the town’s wastewater treatment facility and collection system. The investment will improve pollution control by reducing maintenance and repair costs, as well as excessive infill.

In rural Tennessee, city of Tennessee Ridge will use a $416,900 loan to repair three existing water tanks that are in poor condition. The water tanks are essential to providing safe drinking water to the residents. And the Smith Utility District will use a $1.2 million loan to replace the aged water main down Main Street in Gordonsville.

Atwood, Tenn. will use a $1.2 million loan to fund water system repair and the construction of a new water supply well, rehabilitating equipment at the water treatment plant, and rehabbing a 50,000-gallon elevated storage tank. Bulls Gap, Tenn. will use a $353,000 loan to connect 40 new sewer users.

Florida investments include Ocala East Villas, which will utilize funds for repairs to its wastewater system consisting of a pump station, 1,600 linear feet of force main to connect to the county wastewater system, and other associated work. The wastewater system provides service to 486 customers.

In Texas, East Smith County Sewer Service & Water Supply Corporation is receiving a $2.1 million loan and $4.3 million grant to construct a collection system, wastewater treatment plant and disposal system. There is currently no community wastewater system in the proposed project area.  Sewage from dwellings is treated and disposed on on-site.  Once this project is completed all residents of this area will have access to a safe and reliable wastewater disposal system.

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