The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Virginia Rural Development office today announced it will invest $399,000 in projects critical to the water system and health of Port Royal.
“USDA Rural Development’s water and waste disposal programs provide funding for rural localities in need of clean and reliable drinking water systems and for sanitary sewage and waste disposal,” said Basil Gooden, Ph.D., Virginia State Director, USDA Rural Development. “This investment illustrates the agency’s capacity to help rural localities provide their residents with better, safer utilities for their homes and businesses.”
Port Royal will receive a $187,000 grant and a $212,000 loan to make improvements to the town’s water system where existing infrastructure is failing, corroded or undersized. The water system serves approximately 70 residential and 10 commercial connections.
Construction will provide:
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a new 25,000 gallon storage tank
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a new precast concrete building to house new piping
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an emergency generator
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replacement of water meters
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replacement of approximately 5,700 linear feet of water lines and related components
The $399,000 investment supplements other funds including a previously approved $30,000 USDA Rural Development SEARCH grant. SEARCH grants help very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design assistance and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects.
Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of their grant agreement.
USDA Rural Development in 2015 invested more than $1 billion in rural Virginia through 40 loan, grant and loan guarantee programs in housing, business, agriculture, energy, health care and community facilities. It has employees stationed in 12 offices across the commonwealth to better serve residents where they live and to improve the economy and quality of life in rural Virginia.