Huron, SD, Nov. 19, 2019 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development South Dakota State Director Julie Gross today announced that WEB Water Development Association, Inc., the City of Wagner, and the City of Bowdle have been awarded combined federal funding of $24,368,000 to improve community infrastructure. USDA is funding the projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program.
“USDA is committed to assisting rural communities improve their infrastructure needs,’ said Gross. “The funding will assist with operating efficiencies and create safe, reliable water systems to better serve the respective community’s rural residents. When rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
The projects funded include:
- WEB Water Development Association, Inc. will receive a $15,793,000 loan and a $2,913,000 grant to finance improvements to the water system. WEB will expand their current water treatment facility. These improvements will alleviate capacity issues currently plaguing the system, create operating efficiencies and redundancies, and provide reliable drinking water to more than 8,000 customers throughout north-central and northeast S.D. and south-central N.D. The total project cost of the improvements to WEB Water's system is $19,456,000. Local funds will be used in conjunction with USDA funding to complete the enhancements and provide an efficient and reliable water system for 37,796 rural residents served by WEB Water throughout 17 counties in N.D. and S.D.
- City of Wagner will receive a $1,726,000 loan and a $2,364,000 grant to replace approximately 2,700 linear feet of asbestos-cement water pipe, and approximately 7,765 linear feet of clay and asbestos-cement sewer pipe. In addition, manholes will be replaced throughout various parts of the city, as well as the sewer grit chamber. This project will improve the delivery of water and sewer throughout the city of Wagner, as well as create an environment for cleaner and safer drinking water.
- City of Bowdle will receive a $1,172,000 loan and a $400,000 grant to finance improvements to the water and sewer collection system. The city will replace outdated water and sewer lines along Main Street. These improvements will help alleviate inflow and infiltration caused by deficiencies in the sewer system, replace outdated waterlines, and will provide a modernized water and sewer system for the community's residents. Local funds will be used in conjunction with Rural Development funding in order to accomplish the enhancements and provide a more unified water and sewer system for this rural South Dakota community.
Today’s announcement is part of a larger statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald “DJ” LaVoy who announced that the department is investing $635 million in 122 projects to improve water systems and wastewater handling services in rural communities in 42 states. The projects announced are in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Eligible applicants include rural cities, towns and water districts. The funds can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems in rural communities that meet population limits.
View the interactive RD Apply tool or contact one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices for application or eligibility information.
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 facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.