WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2021 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $272 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for 270,000 people living in rural communities across 37 states and Puerto Rico. Six rural Iowa communities receiving $4.5 million as a part of this announcement include Randolph, Goodell, Monticello, Russell, Ashton and residents served by the Eastern Iowa Regional Utility Service.
“As people in many parts of the nation battle drought and fires brought on by climate change, there has never been a more urgent need for this assistance,” Vilsack said. “When we invest in rural infrastructure, we build opportunity and prosperity for people in rural communities. These investments 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. Investing in rural water infrastructure is one of the many things the Biden-Harris Administration is doing to help the nation build back better during the ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
USDA is financing 114 projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. These investments will help improve rural infrastructure for 270,000 people and businesses.
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.
Six Iowa communities received USDA loan and grant funding today totaling $4,558,000. “Nothing happens without water,” said Darin Leach, USDA Rural Development Acting State Director in Iowa. “Economic development cannot happen without a water source. Improving water infrastructure helps foster new opportunities for those living in rural America to thrive.”
The Iowa projects are:
- The city of Randolph is receiving a $332,000 loan and a $105,000 grant to improve existing city sewer infrastructure. Improvements will be made to the lift station, flow measurement meter and existing lagoon structures of the wastewater treatment facility to address inflow and infiltration issues. These improvements will allow the city to provide safe wastewater treatment for its 168 residents.
- The city of Goodell is receiving a $25,000 loan to help build a wastewater system. The city currently is without a central sanitary sewer collection or treatment system. Most residents are presently served by individual septic tanks that are connected to one of several drain tile lines extending through the community. This project will help the city build a low-pressure wastewater collection system piped to a controlled discharge lagoon treatment facility.
- The Eastern Iowa Regional Utility Service System is receiving a $615,000 loan to extend water main and services to the Droessler's Subdivision and Spruce Creek Park. The system will be connected to the city of Bellevue water supply system. This will provide safe and adequate water supply to the residents and campers. The project includes a distribution system throughout the subdivision.
- The city of Monticello is receiving a $743,000 loan to make improvements to failing storm water and drainage system infrastructure. The city's ditch serves as a conduit for local storm sewers to empty and be channeled into the Maquoketa River. Much of the ditch is silted in and too narrow to adequately manage high water flow events, causing some private properties to be damaged during flash flooding. These improvements will correct localized flooding by replacing failing abutments and clearing out ditch debris and widening and reshaping certain areas of the ditch.
- The city of Russell is receiving a $495,000 loan and a $296,000 grant to upgrade its municipal sewer system. The city will construct a submerged attached growth reactor treatment system and an ultraviolet disinfection treatment system. It will also upgrade the collection system. This project will improve the quality of life for 554 people who call Russell home.
- The city of Ashton is receiving a $1,000,000 loan and a $ $947,000 grant to improve the drinking water supply system. The project includes construction of a new ground storage reservoir and above-grade pumping station located immediately adjacent to the existing ground storage reservoir and pumping station. The project includes improvements to water service meters using new technology.
USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas. Office locations include a State Office in Des Moines, along with Area Offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas in Iowa, call (515) 284-4663 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 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. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate, smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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