U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing more than $4 million to support a new water system for the City of Atoka.
Funding for these projects were made available through USDA Rural Developments Water and Wastewater Grants Native American Set Aside Grant allocation. This investment will allow the City of Atoka to bring their water infrastructure up to today’s standards and provide the community with safe and clean drinking water.
“President Biden has made replacing critical infrastructure systems, like the City of Atoka’s water system, as a key priority of the administration that he has been able to deliver to the American people time and time again,” Corn said. “When we invest in our rural and Tribal communities, it not only provides the necessities of day-to-day living but also creates a positive economic impact right here in Oklahoma.”
The City of Atoka will use the grant funds to meet Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality standards to ensure their public water system meets the necessary health and sanitary standards. The set aside authority for a 100 percent was met by meeting population, income, and unemployment standards for a community with Native Americans.
“This is the third Native American set aside grant Oklahoma has been able to secure totaling nearly $16 million to preserve one of life’s top necessities – water – in our rural communities,” Corn said. “This is why I am grateful that President Biden is such a strong supporter of rural communities and Tribal governments across Oklahoma like the Choctaw Nation. When our Tribal communities are thriving all of Oklahoma benefits.”
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the leadership of 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. To learn more, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/ok.