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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: 6 Stories
Gate valve tie in on water pipe

Teaming Up to Keep Water Losses Down in an Aging Southwest Virginia System

When Jeff Kilgore started work at the Woodway Water Authority (WWA), he found himself at the helm of a proverbial sinking ship with a small crew working feverishly to plug the leaks. The new executive director knew he had to drastically improve accountability to keep the… [Read More]
Virginia
Utilities
Linn Valley Mayor Lewis Donelson and the Town Council prepare to break ground on the construction of their new water tower.

The Universal Product

Clean drinking water is the universal product of all communities. Everyone uses this product every day. You cannot have a healthy, vibrant community without it.Linn Valley, Kansas, had a problem. Their rural community was growing and their patchwork efforts to supply drinking… [Read More]
Kansas
Utilities
Reel of Fiber in rural countryside.

ReConnecting Rural Residents to Reliable High-Speed Internet

High-speed internet used to be considered a luxury for many rural customers. When the pandemic hit, the need for reliable broadband service became a priority. Thanks to Rural Development’s ReConnect program, rural customers near Timber Lake now will have reliable internet… [Read More]
South Dakota
BroadbandInfrastructureTechnologyTelecommunicationsTribalUtilities
People standing behind a sign

High Speed Internet for Southwestern Montana

Southern Montana Telephone Company, located in Wisdom, received a $3.3 million ReConnect grant in 2019 which they used to bring high-speed internet to nearly 1,000 customers, spread out over almost 2,000 miles, in Southwestern Montana. For more information on USDA Rural… [Read More]
Montana
BroadbandGrantsUtilities

Safe, Reliable Water Source Comes to East Henry County

After years of uncertainty about whether it was safe to drink their water or if there would be enough, residents in rural Eastern Henry County in West Tennessee will now have access to safe, reliable water.  Private groundwater well contamination and the lack of a public… [Read More]
Tennessee
UtilitiesWastewaterWater
In 2015 USDA Rural Development worked with the town of Appomattox to fund a loan for $3.7 million and a grant for $1.8 million. The financial assistance allowed Appomattox to begin making vital repairs on its outdated sewer collection and treatment system

Sewer Repairs in Appomattox

When the town of Appomattox began inspecting its sewer collection and treatment system, which provides service to approximately 695 residential and 70 commercial connections, it found problems that were contributing to raw sewage overflows, incompliance with state code and… [Read More]
Virginia
UtilitiesWastewaterWater

Additional Success Stories