BOZEMAN, Mont., Oct. 14, 2021 – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Montana Acting State Director Jake Ceartin announced today that the USDA is investing almost $12.3 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for rural communities in Montana as part of a larger USDA investment, which is providing $272 million to improve rural water infrastructure for 270,000 people across the country.
“Funding Water and Wastewater projects in Harlowton and Choteau will not only provide access to safe and clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for these rural communities,” stated Ceartin, “but also create jobs and modernize utility offerings in these areas.”
USDA Rural Development Montana is financing two projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. These investments will help improve rural infrastructure for over 2,000 people and businesses in northern and central Montana.
“When we invest in rural infrastructure, we build opportunity and prosperity for people in rural communities,” Ceartin added. "And that's important to helping Montana thrive."
Background:
The Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage. The program serves people and businesses in eligible rural areas with populations of 10,000 or less.
USDA is announcing investments today in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico. The full list of these projects can be found online.
In Montana, as part of today’s announcement:
- Harlowton, which is a rural community approximately 130 miles east of Helena, Mont., will use a $3,910,000 Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal loan and a $7,360,000 Water and Waste Disposal grant to finance the infrastructure needed to deliver potable water to the city. The pipeline will also service about 40 rural towns that lie along the pipeline's route and result in providing clean drinking water to Harlowton's residents as well as five other rural communities within central Montana. The proposed infrastructure consists of a disinfection building, pumps, a vault for a surge tank, a small building for housing controls, powerline installation, water tanks, a supervisory control and data acquisition system, a pressure reducing valve, an altitude valve, the connection to Harlowton's water tank, the various rural connections along the water pipeline, and approximately 24 miles of the water transmission main.
- And, in Choteau, which is the county seat of Teton County, located in between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, this Rural Development Investment will be used to upgrade and replace the 6,000 linear feet of aging cast-iron waterline with 6,000 linear feet of 8-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. This will improve the city of Choteau's water and waste disposal systems by eliminating backflow events. Their $618,000 Water and Waste Disposal loan and $398,000 Water and Waste Disposal grant will provide the infrastructure needed to ensure safe and potable water for Choteau's approximately 1,700 full-time residents, as well as the influx of tourists who visit the area.
To learn more about Water and Waste Water resources for Montana’s rural areas, contact the Community Facilities Programs Director, Steve Troendle, at (406) 585-2529 or steve.troendle@usda.gov.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/mt.. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
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