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 facing aging wastewater treatment facilities and WI Department of Natural Resources violations due to the degrading systems.

In order to address the issues, leaders from both communities worked with USDA Rural Development staff, using two Pre-Development Planning Grants, to adopt a cost effective, long-range plan. The plan formed the Eleva-Strum Joint Sewerage Commission to construct, operate, and manage a new water treatment and sewer collection facilities.

USDA Rural Development approved $6.062 million in Water and Waste Disposal loans and grants to help with the cost of constructing a new regional wastewater treatment facility. The Wisconsin Economic Development Administration provided a $400,000 a Community Block Development Grant and an additional local contribution of $28,000 completed the to the $6.5 million project.

The project included the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility, a lift station in each community, and an extension of collection lines to additional users in the Village of Eleva.

By partnering together and sharing resources, the Village of Eleva and the Village of Strum are able to provide needed services to both their communities; and improve the quality of life for area residents. This project will ultimately benefit the residents, the environment, and surrounding communities in several ways; preventing wastewater from being discharged into the ground or nearby surface waters, improving water quality, stabilizing property values, and making the area a cleaner and safer place to live and enjoy.