Today, the City of Vernonia was joined by USDA Rural Development State Director Vicki Walker; representatives from the offices of Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, and Congresswoman Bonamici; local officials; and residents as they broke ground on a wastewater system improvement project nearly 20 years in the making. Funded by Rural Development, this project will improve water quality for the local community and native fish species while also upgrading the town’s infrastructure and safeguarding it against flooding.
“This event was a chance for USDA to join our community partners and residents in celebrating environmentally-friendly growth and development in rural areas,” said Walker. “Every day, small communities face the challenges of maintaining and upgrading their infrastructure. Ensuring adequate utilities and other services is absolutely critical for a town to be able to grow, keep its residents safe and healthy, add new business, and develop its economy. A project like this can help a small, rural community thrive into the future.”
In 1996 and 2007, Vernonia experienced major flooding that inundated the city’s wastewater treatment lagoons, other public facilities, and numerous private properties, demonstrating the need for improvements to the city’s wastewater system. In addition, the current system is susceptible to exfiltration, resulting in unmonitored discharges of treated effluent into the Nehalem River.
With assistance from a USDA Rural Development loan of $5.6 million and a $2.2 million grant provided through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, the city will purchase new equipment and upgrade the current wastewater lagoon system to meet tighter National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements. The lagoons will be raised above the 100-year flood level and the 2007 flood high water mark. A new infiltration pipe will also be installed, allowing the treated effluent to cool before entering the river, improving stream temperatures for native fish.
In addition, Rural Development is refinancing a $2.7 million Department of Environmental Quality loan to the city, taking it from a 20-year term to a 40-year term and helping to keep the city’s costs low.
This project will ensure clean water supplies, a healthy environment, adequate utilities, and updated community infrastructure, all essential building blocks for this rural community of 2,151 to grow and thrive into the future.
President Obama's historic investments in rural America have made our rural communities stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses, and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way—strengthening America's economy, small towns, and rural communities.