The Burns Paiute Tribe in eastern Oregon will develop a water and sewer master plan with the help of a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced State Director Vicki Walker during a visit to Burns.
“The Burns Paiute Tribe is actively working to plan for the future of their community,” said Walker. “Rural communities across the country are faced with the challenges of maintaining and upgrading their infrastructure. This project will help the Tribe evaluate its existing services and its future infrastructure improvement needs. I am proud to announce today’s grant from USDA to offset the costs of the Tribe’s planning effort.”
With the funding provided through USDA’s Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (SEARCH) Program, the Tribe will obtain engineering services to develop a water and sewer master plan. The funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement.
The plan will identify infrastructure improvements needed to serve current tribal residents and facilities, as well as several proposed new tribal facilities. It will include an evaluation of the existing sewer service, which currently routes all waste through the City of Burns for treatment, along with anticipated needs for new components. Additionally, it will evaluate the existing Burns Paiute Tribal Water System and identify new water demands, new fire flow needs, and new system component requirements. Overall, the project will help this rural community of 128 people support continued development in the area and plan for the future.
Since 2009, USDA Rural Development (#USDARD) has invested $11 billion to start or expand 103,000 rural businesses; help 1.1 million rural residents buy homes; fund nearly 7,000 community facilities such as schools, public safety, and healthcare facilities; finance 180,000 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines; and help bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results.