WV Projects are 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 West Virginia, two essential community facilities are receiving loan and grant funding totaling $1,973,000.
“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 West Virginia State Director Alan L. Harris said, “This investment is critical in that it upgrades essential infrastructure that rural West Virginians rely on every day. From upgrading waterlines and adding fire hydrants to rebuilding a public works building that was damaged by a natural disaster, USDA Rural Development is helping rural communities to build back better.”
The two projects being announced in West Virginia are:
- Monumental Public Service District is receiving a Water and Waste Disposal Grant in the amount of $513,000. This Rural Development investment will be used to help Monumental Public Service District replace waterlines in areas along Finch Run, Moody Run, Davy Run, Gilboa Road, Paw Paw Creek, Laurel Run, Bethel Run, Little Dunkard Mill, and several shorter sidelines. This project will replace approximately 161,000 linear feet of smaller diameter distribution lines with new larger diameter waterlines. Most of the waterline replacements that are six-inches or greater in diameter will be capable of supporting fire flow; therefore, 63 new fire hydrant assemblies will be included in this project. A 505,000-gallon water storage tank will replace the Gilboa Road tank, the Moore's Auction Barn tank, the Bethel Hill tank, and the Buttermilk tank. The new, centrally located 505,000-gallon water tank will have an overflow elevation nearly 36 feet higher than the current four tanks. This will better serve customers at higher elevations. All customers along the replacement waterlines will also receive replacement meter settings and radio-read meters.
- The Hardy County Public Service District is receiving a Water and Waste Disposal Loan in the amount of $1,460,000. This Rural Development investment will be used to help Hardy County Public Service District construct a facility that will house the main office and maintenance shop. Their office and shop facility were severely damaged by flooding during a June 2018 natural disaster. As a result, the district has been forced to operate out of a small temporary construction trailer for over two years. The site for the new facility is a 4.88-acre parcel within the Robert C. Byrd Hardy County Industrial Park located just outside the eastern city limits of the town of Moorefield. The new 6,300-square-foot facility will consist of a 2,000-square-foot office area for administrative staff and board members and a 4,300-square-foot garage area for maintenance and storage of parts, vehicles, and equipment. Since there are electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone, cable, and fiber optic utilities adjacent to the proposed site a two-hour fire-rated wall will separate the two areas.
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.
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.
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, 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.