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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 the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 46 Stories
Water filtration system inside new building

Bringing Safe, Reliable Water to Rural Montana Town

In the shadow of central Montana’s Crazy Mountains sits Wilsall, a picturesque community of 200 rural residents who – with a little help from USDA Rural Development – now have a safe, reliable water supply. Nearly six years ago, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (… [Read More]
Montana
Water
Two people standing in front of a water tank and water truck

USDA Grant Provides Water to Drought Struck Community

When we turn on the water faucet in our homes, most of us take for granted that water will pour out. It seems almost unimaginable to think that there might be a time when water would not flow. But three years ago, this situation became a reality for residents of a small… [Read More]
New Mexico
Water
Group photo of Frenchtown, NJ, community with RD NJ staff at a groundbreaking event.

Invasions and Investments Keep Jersey Town Afloat

For the last 20 years, one small New Jersey town nestled along the bank of the Delaware River spends an entire weekend preparing for something you’d pull out of an adventure book – an all-out Viking invasion.Hundreds of locals line the water’s edge as the river’s current guides… [Read More]
New Jersey
Water
Photo of a freshly paved East Washington Street in Gillett, Wisconsin

City of Gillett Paves the Way for State Highway Reconstruction

Whether we like it or not, orange barrel season is right around the corner in Wisconsin. Roads across the state will soon come under construction and orange barrels will pop up like bulbs in the garden. Depending on the type of project, communities can prepare in advance… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Community FacilitiesInfrastructureWater
Mni Waste water tower in Eagle Butte, SD

Delivering mni wašté to residents of Cheyenne River Reservation

The Lakota phrase mni wasté translates to mean good water, which is what Mni Wasté Water Company’s 13 staff strive to deliver to the residents of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and surrounding area every day. Leo ‘Earp’ Fischer is the director of the water company. He’s been… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesGrantsRural DevelopmentTribalWater
An aerial view of a glowing greenhouse at the Waupun Wastewater Treatment Facility.

From Your House to Greenhouse, Waupun Wastewater Facility Celebrates New, Advanced Technology

In May 2021, a groundbreaking was held at the Waupun Wastewater Treatment Facility to mark the start of construction on a new Advanced Biological Nutrient Recovery (ABNR) system. Roughly 140 days later, attendees of the 2023 Algae Biomass Summit, the largest gathering… [Read More]
Wisconsin
BioeconomyBiomassWastewaterWater
A water treatment facility at Seal Rock, Oregon.

Collaboration and Climate Resilience: Seal Rock Water District Finds A New Source

Seal Rock’s drinking water was in danger. For nearly 50 years, Seal Rock Water District (SRWD) relied on water purchased from the nearby town of Toledo, Oregon. The water could only be delivered through a 7-mile-long, underground pipeline. Already prone to landslides and… [Read More]
Oregon
Community FacilitiesDisasterWastewaterWater
Town officials conferring with an RD staffer at the wastewater treatment plant site.

Taming an Energy Hog to Support a Growing Community in Elkton

Wastewater treatment is one of those services that most folks only think about when something goes wrong. In Elkton, Va., the quaint brick manholes of this scenic Shenandoah Valley community were covering a simmering issue with the sewer lines below. The treatment plant was… [Read More]
Virginia
Community FacilitiesGrantsInfrastructureRural DevelopmentWastewaterWater
Oxidation Ditch at Poplar Wastewater Treatment Facility

Re-Building a Wastewater Treatment Facility in Rural Montana

Located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the City of Poplar is a thriving rural community of 759. It serves as Tribal headquarters of the Fort Peck Tribes and sits along Montana’s famed Hi-Line – the state’s northernmost route running from the North Dakota border in the east… [Read More]
Montana
Community FacilitiesTribalWastewaterWater
Rural Development and Thunder Valley visiting outside the Montessori School

Routine Servicing Leads to New Projects

When communities look to expand facilities, often they’ll call on Rural Development to learn what loan and grant opportunities might provide support. Rural Development Community Facility Program Loan Specialists like Katie Hammer offer a valuable resource for those communities… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesEconomic DevelopmentHomeownershipHousingTribalWastewaterWater

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