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USDA Invests in Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in New York

Name
Christopher Stewart
City
Syracuse
Release Date

NY State Director Richard Mayfield today announced that USDA is investing more than $11 million to improve rural water infrastructure in three rural communities in the state.

   “Modernizing rural water and wastewater systems helps spur economic growth, improves the health and safety of rural residents and businesses, and makes rural places even more attractive to live and work,” Mayfield said. “These investments illustrate that USDA is a strong partner with rural towns and communities to help them build and improve local infrastructure.”

   This is part of a nationwide announcement where USDA is investing in 45 projects across 25 states, totaling more than $144 million through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Eligible applicants include rural cities and towns, and water districts. They can use the funds for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems in rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

   Below are examples of projects announced today.

  • Town of Westfield     This Rural Development Investment will be used to construct a new water distribution system for water benefit district #1 located in the town of Westfield, N.Y. This will connect to the existing water main that serves the Barcelona area. The village of Westfield Water Treatment Plant will provide treated water to the proposed water benefit district.
  • Town of Potsdam      This Rural Development investment will be used to finance sewer facility improvements for the town of Potsdam located in the northern part of the St. Lawrence County, N.Y. This project includes a refurbishment of the original, extended aeration package with addition of a third blower and upgraded instrumentation / controls. It will also have a new and separate collection system including 12,500 feet of gravity sewer, 11,000 feet of force main and four pumping stations.
  • Town of Louisville     This Rural Development investment will be used to construct a distribution system for the proposed water district #4 in the town of Louisville located in St. Lawrence County, N.Y. The proposed project is to extend public water service from the adjacent water district #3 to the proposed service area. The town would like to provide reliable water service to these residents. These water districts obtain water from the St. Lawrence River and water is treated by a filter plant located within the town.  

   USDA is announcing investments in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

   Congress appropriated $2.9 billion for USDA Water and Environmental Program loans and grants in fiscal year 2019. USDA will make additional funding announcements in coming weeks.

   View the interactive RD Apply tool or contact one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices for application or eligibility information.

   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 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.