HURON, S.D., Dec. 4, 2018 - Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that USDA is investing $1.2 billion to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure for 936,000 rural Americans living in 46 states. Seven projects in South Dakota are receiving funding.
“Access to water is a key driver for economic opportunity and quality of life in rural communities,” Hazlett said. “Under the leadership of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities in building prosperity through modern water infrastructure.”
USDA is providing financing for 234 water and environmental infrastructure projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funding can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.
Eligible communities and water districts can apply online on the interactive RD Apply tool, or they can apply through one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices.
Below are examples of the investments USDA is making in South Dakota:
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The City of Redfield will use a $7,980,000 loan and a $5,186,000 grant to finance improvements to its sewer collection system.It will replace or reline deficient collections throughout the community. These improvements will help alleviate inflow and infiltration, as well as health and sanitary concerns caused by deficiencies in the system.In addition, improvements will provide a cohesive sewer collection system for the community’s 2,333 residents. The federal funding will be leveraged with local funds to accomplish enhancements and provide a unified sewer collection system for this rural community.
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The City of Redfield will use a $4,012,000 and a $3,274,000 grant to improve the water distribution system. The booster station will be enhanced, and outdated distribution lines will be replaced throughout the community. These improvements will create operating efficiencies and provide a reliable water distribution system for the community’s 2,333 residents.
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WEB Water Development Association, Inc. will use a $35,492,000 loan and a $5,901,000 grant to make improvements to the water system. WEB Water will parallel a water line along their main trunk line, construct an additional storage tank along the main trunk line, and parallel or add water lines, and make booster station upgrades throughout various low-capacity locations within their current service area. These system improvements will alleviate capacity issues currently plaguing the system. It will also create operating efficiencies and provide a reliable and viable water distribution system throughout north-central and northeast South Dakota and south-central North Dakota. The federal funds will be leveraged with local funds to complete enhancements and provide an efficient and reliable water system for more than 41,000 rural residents served by WEB throughout 17 counties in North and South Dakota.
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The City of Madison will use a $7,749,000 loan and a $2,091,000 grant to upgrade its water distribution system. It will replace an aging water tower with a larger capacity tower and update aging water mains throughout various sections of the city. These improvements will transform the aging, inadequate facility into a modern, full capable facility to serve the community’s 6,474 residents.
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The Town of Pierpont will use a $585,000 loan and a $737,000 grant to make improvements to the sewer system. It will replace sewer mains, manholes and service lines. It will also make improvements to its sewer lagoons. These upgrades will replace old lines and repair the collection system. The federal funds will be leveraged with local funds of $30,000.The population served is 135.
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The City of Herreid will use a $1,721,000 loan and a $1,340,000 grant to make improvements to the sewer collection system. It will replace outdated collection lines throughout the community. These improvements will help alleviate inflow and infiltration caused by deficiencies in the system and will provide a modernized sewer system for the community’s 438 residents. Local funds will be used in conjunction with the leveraged funds to accomplish the enhancements and provide a more unified sewer collection system.
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The City of Britton will use a $845,000 loan and a $118,000 grant to make improvements to the storm sewer collection system. It will replace outdate collection lines and install additional curb and gutters in various areas in the city. These improvements will help the flow of drainage throughout the community. This project will serve this rural community of 1,250 residents.
USDA is making investments in rural communities in: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
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. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
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 services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.