A direct loan through the USDA RD Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program will help construct a 100,000-gallon water tank
Champaign, Ill., Sept. 2, 2025 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) State Director Jesus Ortega announced today that USDA RD is providing the Calhoun County Rural Water District with a direct loan of $3,069,000 to help ensure safe, reliable potable water for 3,500 residents in Calhoun County, Illinois.
“We are dedicated to partnering with the Calhoun County Rural Water District to ensure people in rural Illinois have safe potable water,” State Director Ortega said. “Access to clean water is essential and it is one of the issues I most prioritize.”
Through this project, the county will construct a new 100,000-gallon elevated water tank to replace their old water storage system that was leaking. Additional features in the new system will improve water flow and pressure and eliminate health and sanitary concerns. This project will serve 3,500 residents in Calhoun County, Illinois.
This USDA RD investment in rural Illinois is through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. This program provides funding to households and businesses in eligible rural areas for:
- Clean and reliable drinking water systems
- Sanitary sewage disposal
- Sanitary solid waste disposal
- Storm water drainage
“The Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program provides funding for eligible projects that are dedicated to the health and safety of people in rural Illinois,” State Director Ortega said. “This program is another example of how USDA RD is laser-focused on rural well-being and prosperity.”
More information about the USDA RD Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program is available online, here: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/water-waste-disposal-loan-grant-program-14.
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