Projects Provide Clean Water Infrastructure and Create Jobs for People Living in Paulsboro and the Delaware River Basin Watershed
PAULSBORO, NJ., April 24, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development celebrated Earth Day in Paulsboro today. This year’s USDA Rural Development Earth Day theme is “Invest in our Planet,” which is what USDA Rural Development does every day to provide clean water and create jobs for rural people across the country.
USDA Rural Development State Director, Jane Asselta joined the Paulsboro Deputy Mayor and Council President, John A. Giovannitti, Gloucester County Commissioners Frank DiMarco and Heather Simmons to celebrate the completion of the Paulsboro-Billingsport Marine Terminal Water Main Project.
USDA Rural Development State Director Jane Asselta said “USDA Rural Development’s funding in water and wastewater projects within New Jersey’s Delaware River Basin Watershed ensures our rural residents and businesses can count on clean water and fire protection now and into the future. To celebrate Earth Day, we are highlighting USDA Rural Development’s investments in Paulsboro to expand access to safe drinking water and reliable wastewater infrastructure that creates jobs, builds critical infrastructure, and promotes economic development - such as the Billingsport Marine Terminal Water Main Project, which supported the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, the first major port to be constructed on the Delaware River in more than 50 years. We not only improve the quality of life for rural residents through these investments but generate job opportunities, recreation, and tourism within the Delaware River Basin. A clean Delaware River Basin has also created a vibrant oyster industry in NJ, DE and MD which is dependent on our waterways.”
Recently, USDA Rural Development provided $1,013,000 in Water and Waste Disposal Program Grant funds and $1,618,00 in Water and Waste Disposal Direct Program Loan funds to install a new 16 inch diameter water main through the Billingsport section of Paulsboro to the Marine Terminal. The new water main improved fire flow service and water quality to the Billingsport Elementary School and surrounding residential area. USDA Rural Development funding for this project also included the installation of mains to provide water service, fire hydrants and fireflow protection on the Port of Paulsboro property which had no existing water system. This funding enabled further development of the port area.
Paulsboro is one of the many communities in NJ within the Delaware River Basin Watershed which provides clean, safe drinking water, recreation, and jobs to rural residents. More than 15 million people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware rely on it for drinking water and so much more. Since 2010, USDA Rural Development has invested over $23 million in infrastructure in Paulsboro.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean-energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.rd.usda.gov/nj.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans 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, tribal and high-poverty areas.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.