USDA Rural Development Invests $1.03 Million to Improve Wastewater Infrastructure for the Town of Verona Island
ME Project is part of $272 Million to Improve Rural Water Infrastructure for 270,000 People Living in Rural Communities Across the Country
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. In Maine, the Town of Verona Island is receiving a total of $1,030,000 in loan and grant funds.
“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 Rural Development Acting Maine State Director Tommy R. Higgins said, “This important investment in wastewater infrastructure for the Town of Verona Island will upgrade aging components of the system and ensure reliable utilities for the residents who rely on them. Projects like this are key examples of how USDA Rural Development is helping rural communities to build back better.”
In Maine, the Town of Verona Island is receiving a total of $1,030,000 (Water and Waste Direct Loan of $570,000 and Grant in the amount of $460,000). This Rural Development investment will be used to upgrade the wastewater collection system in the town of Verona Island. The current equipment has outlived its useful life so upgrades must be made in order to reduce safety concerns with the operators. The project involves replacing of the Admiral Peary Lane Pump Station with a wet well mounted station and for the East Side Drive Pump Station to have its all components replaced. The project also includes rehabilitation of approximately 16 manholes that are contributing excess flows through leaking hinged covers or through deteriorated brick and mortar riser sections. The town's collection system was constructed in 1985 and consists of about 5,100 linear feet of Polyvinyl chloride gravity sewer pipe, about 25 concrete manholes, and two pump stations. The collection system conveys wastewater to the neighboring town of Bucksport's wastewater treatment facility for treatment before discharge.
USDA is financing a total of 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
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.
The Department is announcing investments today in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.
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/me.
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, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, 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.
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