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Wythe County to Receive $1.25 Million USDA Loan for Water System Improvements

Name
Eric Peters
City
Richmond
Release Date

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Virginia Rural Development office today announced it has approved a $1.25 million low-interest direct loan for Wythe County that will help the county improve its water system operations.

“Ensuring there is a reliable water supply in rural Virginia is important,” said Basil Gooden, Ph.D., Virginia’s USDA Rural Development State Director. “We work with counties like Wythe across Virginia to help find solutions to water issues because establishing and stabilizing adequate access to water is the foundation for healthy living, strong quality of life and positive economic development.”

USDA Rural Development funds will be used to construct a new 1.5-million-gallon ground water storage tank. The tank will improve system operations in the Fort Chiswell portion of the county’s existing water system and ensure adequate water supply and pressure during periods of high use. The County’s existing water system serves approximately 2,400 residential and 150 commercial customers.

The tank also will serve as the storage supply for water that is pumped to Carroll County and Wytheville as part of the New River Regional Water Authority. The increased storage provides all three localities with an additional day of storage capacity that will help in the event of an extended power outage.

Funding announced today is made available through the USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, which provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

In 2015, USDA Rural Development in Virginia invested in 32 water and environmental projects totaling more than $35 million in loans and grants.

Funding of the award announced today is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan.

USDA Rural Development in 2015 invested more than $1 billion in rural Virginia through 40 loan, grant and loan guarantee programs in housing, business, agriculture, energy, health care and community facilities. It has employees stationed in 14 offices across the commonwealth to better serve residents where they live and to improve the economy and quality of life in rural Virginia.