USDA Rural Development Illinois State Director Doug Wilson announced today that USDA is investing $96 million to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure in 14 Illinois counties.
“In addition to offering these communities better drinking water, the systems will improve their fire protection. The systems will insure firefighters have adequate water pressure and a constant supply of water to protect their communities as well as lower insurance costs of the fire districts” said Douglas Wilson, USDA Rural Development Director, Illinois. “USDA Rural Development is proud to serve communities throughout rural Illinois, helping them improve their quality of life. USDA is partnering with local officials and businesses to make critical investments to help strengthen rural communities.”
USDA is providing financing for 234 water and environmental infrastructure projects through the department’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funding can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.
Eligible communities and water districts can apply online on the interactive RD Apply tool, or they can apply through one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices.
Below are some examples of the investments USDA is making in Illinois:
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The Village of Grand Ridge will use a $100,000 loan and a $297,000 grant to provide additional financing to complete the construction of an elevated water tower for the village of Grand Ridge. This project will serve 249 users in La Salle County and alleviate health and sanitary concerns to provide the village with safe drinking water.Additional funding includes a $947,000 USDA Rural Development Water and Waste program loan.
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In the Village of Pulaski a $516,000 loan and a $1,436,000 grant will renovate the village’s water distribution system to alleviate large leaks. The project will replace approximately 47,580 LF of water main, 41 EA gate valves, 43 EA fire hydrants, 124 EA service meters and will upgrade the meter read system. The project will eliminate the leaks that expose the water to contaminants and replace the main asbestos cement water line that runs from the water tower. More than 200 residents will be served by these improvements.
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Illinois Alluvial Regional Water Company, Inc. will receive a $42,000,000 loan and a $24,000,000 grant to help this newly formed regional water system construct a four-million-gallons-per-day, lime-softening water treatment plant, a new water supply field and 47 miles of transmission main. The water company will provide bulk (wholesale) water to Carlinville, Dorchester and Bunker Hill, and to the Jersey County Rural Water Company and the Central Macoupin County Rural Water District. The regional water system will alleviate the health and sanitary issues some entities have with their current water source.
USDA is making investments in rural communities in: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.