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Success Stories

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A water treatment facility at Seal Rock, Oregon.

Collaboration and Climate Resilience: Seal Rock Water District Finds A New Source

Seal Rock’s drinking water was in danger. For nearly 50 years, Seal Rock Water District (SRWD) relied on water purchased from the nearby town of Toledo, Oregon. The water could only be delivered through a 7-mile-long, underground pipeline. Already prone to landslides and… [Read More]
04.20.2023
Town officials conferring with an RD staffer at the wastewater treatment plant site.

Taming an Energy Hog to Support a Growing Community in Elkton

Wastewater treatment is one of those services that most folks only think about when something goes wrong. In Elkton, Va., the quaint brick manholes of this scenic Shenandoah Valley community were covering a simmering issue with the sewer lines below. The treatment plant was… [Read More]
04.14.2023
Oxidation Ditch at Poplar Wastewater Treatment Facility

Re-Building a Wastewater Treatment Facility in Rural Montana

Located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the City of Poplar is a thriving rural community of 759. It serves as Tribal headquarters of the Fort Peck Tribes and sits along Montana’s famed Hi-Line – the state’s northernmost route running from the North Dakota border in the east… [Read More]
04.13.2023
Rural Development and Thunder Valley visiting outside the Montessori School

Routine Servicing Leads to New Projects

When communities look to expand facilities, often they’ll call on Rural Development to learn what loan and grant opportunities might provide support. Rural Development Community Facility Program Loan Specialists like Katie Hammer offer a valuable resource for those communities… [Read More]
03.09.2023
A picture of Main Street in Moorefield, West Virginia. Photo credit Town of Moorefield.

“They’re Always There for Us”: USDA Helps with Recovery Efforts

It was June 1, 2018, a severe storm had battered Hardy County in eastern West Virginia causing flooding, mudslides, and landslides. The storms brought heavy rain and caused significant damage to private property and public infrastructure in Hardy County. The Hardy County Public… [Read More]
01.19.2023
Man standing next to lagoon

Cleaning Wastewater in Harlowton, Montana

Harlowton, Mont., a rural community which also serves as Wheatland County’s seat, modernized their wastewater system with assistance through USDA Rural Development’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.  See how they used these funds to transition to UV technology… [Read More]
07.20.2022
Lake Andes group photo

USDA Builds Sound Infrastructure for a Rural South Dakota Community

The City of Lake Andes recognized that two-thirds of the city sewer system was built in the 1920’s with vitrified clay pipe (VC) and brick manholes (MHs). The sewer system was experiencing a significantly high rate of infiltration and inflow causing the sanitary sewer system to… [Read More]
12.16.2020
Pine Ridge Lift Station

Reliable Infrastructure Provided to the Pine Ridge Community

Pine Ridge is the most populous community in Oglala Lakota County, SD with a population of 3,308. It is located inside the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is the tribal headquarters for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The lift station in Pine Ridge was in very poor condition with… [Read More]
08.03.2020
New Water Treatment Plant.

Bringing Clean, Drinkable Water Back to Shelby

How would you feel if your Village needed to provide clean and safe drinking water to its 284 residential and 31 non-residential water connections; and you didn’t know where or  how to correct the problem? Shelby’s water source contained high levels of arsenic that exceeded the… [Read More]
08.06.2019
OMB

Developing New Markets for Waste

In 2004, Joel and Jean Garland began operating a value added wood products business. In little more than a decade that sawmill has adapted, innovated, persisted, and advanced, all while remaining grounded in the small rural community of Lillie, Louisiana. Joel identified… [Read More]
08.06.2019