Idaho State Director Layne Bangerter announced today that USDA is investing $5 million to improve water and wastewater systems in four rural Idaho communities.
“Access to safe, modern, and reliable water systems are critical for the health, safety, and economic vitality of our rural communities,” Bangerter said. “The investments announced today demonstrates USDA Rural Development’s commitment to being a strong partner in building prosperity in rural Idaho through modern infrastructure.”
Investments in Idaho include:
- The city of Culdesac, Idaho received a $620,000 loan and $580,000 grant to upgrade the city of Culdesac’s sewer system. The city is currently in violation of its discharge permit. Upgrades to the city’s sewer system is needed to meet permit requirements. Upon completion, the 190 residential users in the city will benefit from a fully functional sewer system.
- The city of Horseshoe Bend, Idaho received a $500,000 loan to install a new sewer line across the new Highway 55 bridge in Horseshoe Bend. The city currently has a sewer line hanging from the existing bridge that is being replaced by the Idaho Transportation Department. The 395 users in the city of Horseshoe Bend will benefit by continuing to have a fully functional sewer system.
- The city of Pierce, Idaho received a $300,000 loan and $1.26 million grant to fund Phase 2 of this two-phase wastewater improvement project. Phase 1 included collection system improvements to reduce inflow and infiltrating, and improvements at the water treatment plant. Phase 2 involves constructing a separate wastewater treatment plant to meet Department of Environmental Quality standards. Upon completion, the 340 users in the city of Pierce will benefit from a fully functional wastewater system. Additional investments included a $1.8 million USDA Rural Development loan in 2016, a $1.1 million USDA Rural Development grant in 2016, a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant, $30,000 from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, $39,000 applicant contribution, and $800,000 from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
- The city of Spirit Lake, Idaho received $1.8 million to construct a winter storage lagoon for the city of Spirit Lake. The additional storage lagoon is crucial to protect public health and allow the city to accommodate additional connections. There are 1,055 connections to the wastewater system.
Nationwide, the Department is investing $1.2 billion to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure for 936,000 rural Americans living in 46 states.
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, storm water 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.
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.