U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
Read More

Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 44 Stories
OMB

Developing New Markets for Waste

In 2004, Joel and Jean Garland began operating a value added wood products business. In little more than a decade that sawmill has adapted, innovated, persisted, and advanced, all while remaining grounded in the small rural community of Lillie, Louisiana. Joel identified… [Read More]
BusinessWastewaterWater

Energy Efficient Sewer Treatment Coupled with Environmental Balance

The Milton Regional Sewer Authority (MRSA) needed to improve and expand their existing sewer treatment plant. The Pennsylvania Department of  Environmental Protection (DEP) mandated that all communities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed comply with new lower standards for… [Read More]
WastewaterWater
White Stone, Va.

Looking Forward in White Stone

Picturesque White Stone, Va., sits on a gateway to the state’s Northern Neck at the junction of the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay. It is a town with enormous economic potential, but in the center of town at The River Market during a recent lunchtime rush, owner Jim… [Read More]
Water

Mammoth Spring Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements

Outline Of Need: The City of Mammoth Spring is located in North Central Arkansas in Fulton County. They own and operate a public wastewater treatment facility. The City is positioned on a bluff overlooking the Spring River. The original wastewater treatment collection and… [Read More]
WastewaterWater
Mni Waste' Ground Breaking

Mni Waste' Water Company Ready to Break Ground on New Water Treatment Plant from Missouri River

Mni Waste’ Water Company located in Eagle Butte, SD, will soon have a new Water Treatment Plant and Trunkline stemming from the Missouri River thanks to USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal funding of $65,871,293.  The federal funds will be leveraged with an… [Read More]
Water
New Elva Strum WWTF

New Joint Commission Provides Improved Services to Residents

Residents and businesses in two northwestern Wisconsin communities now enjoy new public water and sewer service thanks to a partnership between the two communities and USDA Rural Development Both the Village of Eleva and the Village of Strum, located in Trempealeau County, were… [Read More]
WastewaterWater

Partnering for Resilience: Helping Rural Families Keeps Homes and Water in California

California is parched. Amidst the controversy over irrigation in the farms of the Central Valley, the regulations on lawn sprinklers in sprawling cities, and the headlines about groundwater laws, there are regular people with no water. Imagine that day, only a few months after… [Read More]
Water

Partnerships Continue to Help Rural Communities in the Garden State

The Borough of Paulsboro is an industrial town located along the Delaware River in Gloucester County.  With a population of 6,097 and limited resources, the Borough decided to replace their existing 80+ year old water storage tank based on the high cost of the necessary… [Read More]
Water

Safe, Reliable Water Source Comes to East Henry County

After years of uncertainty about whether it was safe to drink their water or if there would be enough, residents in rural Eastern Henry County in West Tennessee will now have access to safe, reliable water.  Private groundwater well contamination and the lack of a public… [Read More]
UtilitiesWastewaterWater
In 2015 USDA Rural Development worked with the town of Appomattox to fund a loan for $3.7 million and a grant for $1.8 million. The financial assistance allowed Appomattox to begin making vital repairs on its outdated sewer collection and treatment system

Sewer Repairs in Appomattox

When the town of Appomattox began inspecting its sewer collection and treatment system, which provides service to approximately 695 residential and 70 commercial connections, it found problems that were contributing to raw sewage overflows, incompliance with state code and… [Read More]
WastewaterWaterUtilities

Additional Success Stories