U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Kentucky State Director Hilda Legg today announced the USDA is investing over $10.7 million in eight water and wastewater projects across rural Kentucky.
“Whether large or small, these water and wastewater infrastructure projects are crucial to rural economic development and good quality of life,” said Legg. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, we remain committed to investing in the improvement of rural Kentucky’s critical infrastructure, because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
City of Wingo
This $600,000 Rural Development investment ($330,000 loan/$270,000 grant) will be used to perform an inflow and infiltration study on the entire sewer system to identify line deterioration, manhole leaks or cracks in need of repair. It will study the need for pipe-lining to address and correct violations levied by the Kentucky Division of Water due to the aging infrastructure. The project also includes the addition of aerators to the existing lagoon and replacing the baffle curtain to effectively treat influent flows. This project will ensure a safe and sanitary means of waste disposal for existing customers in rural Graves County.
Grayson County Water District
This $810,200 Rural Development investment ($539,000 loan/$271,200 grant) will be used to construct approximately five miles of waterline, add three new interconnects, and add one new master meter to allow the water district to serve areas of the county where the water has become unacceptable. The water treatment plant has ample capacity to meet demands, and this project will improve the overall service and water quality for existing customers in Grayson County.
Green River Valley Water District
This $3.625 million Rural Development investment ($2.462 million loan/$1.163 million grant) will be used to complete the expansion of the existing water treatment plant from 6 to 8 million gallons per day, including chemical feed improvements, new flocculation and sedimentation basins, new rapid sand filters and new high service pumps. It will construct a new 1 million gallon clearwell and modify and improve the raw-water intake facilities. This project will allow the water district to meet current and future demands and provide a safe and reliable supply of potable water for existing customers in rural Hart County.
Bronston Water Association Incorporated
This $793,000 Rural Development investment ($555,000 loan/$238,000 grant) will be used to replace approximately four miles of undersized, outdated and deteriorating water lines that are subject to continuous leaking, thereby providing a safe and dependable supply of water for existing customers in rural Pulaski County.
Western Rockcastle Water Association
This $831,000 Rural Development investment ($582,000 loan/$249,000 grant) will be used to construct or replace approximately two miles of water lines, install two new pressure-reducing stations and two hydro-pneumatic pump stations. This will improve service to existing customers by addressing pressure issues due to aging and undersized lines, which are subject to breaks and leaks, and to serve new customers who currently rely on community springs, family wells or water trucks for their water supply. Additionally, the project entails the rehabilitation of an existing 150,000-gallon elevated water storage tank. This project will provide a safe and dependable supply of water for 4,147 existing and 13 new customers in rural Rockcastle County.
Rowan Water Incorporated
This $1.722 million Rural Development investment ($1.222 million loan/$500,000 grant) will be used to replace approximately 6,000 aging, manual-read meters with new drive-by, radio-read meters. This will reduce liability due to physical or weather-related threats to the system’s meter readers, increase the efficiency of the system and reduce water loss, benefitting the customers in rural Rowan County.
Simpson County Water District
This Rural Development investment ($1.529 million loan) will be used to construct approximately four miles of new waterline, replace approximately six miles of existing deteriorating waterline, and construct a new pump station and master meters. These improvements will alleviate water and revenue loss as well as better meet the demands of current and future customers.
Barkley Lake Water District
This Rural Development investment ($854,890 loan) will be used to replace the older, undersized, portions of distribution lines with a new efficient tri-plex booster pump station and approximately three miles of water line. This will provide an increased water supply at sufficient pressure for the citizens of Trigg County.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs 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 areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.