State Director for Rural Development Joyce White today announced that three Georgia communities are included in the list of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) infrastructure projects to upgrade water and wastewater systems in rural communities.
USDA is investing $267 million for 103 projects in 35 states through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funds can be used to finance drinking water, storm water drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.
Below are projects in Georgia, details are listed on the project list:
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The City of Woodbury, Ga., will use a $1,225,000 loan and $1,358,000 grant to improve water quantity and quality for approximately 602 users of the water system.
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The City of Harlem, Ga., will use $7,251,000 loan and $2,343,000 grant for improvements to their water distribution system and upgrade the treatment plant serving 910 current customers, improvements will extend sewer service capacity to an additional 100 customers.
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Hogansville Downtown Development Authority will use a $2,025,000 loan to improve the city’s wastewater treatment facility. The population served by the project is 2,774.
In FY 2018, Congress provided a historic level of funding for water and wastewater infrastructure. The 2018 Omnibus spending bill includes $5.2 billion for USDA loans and grants, up from $1.2 billion in FY 2017. It also directs Agriculture Secretary Perdue to make investments in rural communities with the greatest infrastructure needs.
Rural community leaders can apply for these funds electronically by using the interactive RD Apply tool. They can also apply through Georgia Rural Development area 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.