USDA awards $9.7M for rural water in Mont.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Montana’s state director Kathleen Williams has announced $9.7 million through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program.

The funds aim to help build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in Montana’s rural areas.

“USDA Rural Development is helping fund critical infrastructure in rural areas to provide safe drinking water and reduce waste pollution in our rivers and groundwater," Williams said. “We often take for granted that we’ll get clean water when we turn on the tap, and that our toilets will work, but all that takes focused investment and expert operation of drinking water and wastewater systems. We are honored to be part of these solutions in rural Montana, and commend the dedicated experts who operate these systems."

Projects include:

• The City of Thompson Falls is receiving two loans for a combined total of $3,050,000 and a grant for $6,495,000 through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program.
  This funding will aid the city in upgrading its wastewater system and support the continuation of developments that are currently under construction. These funds will be used to connect 137 benefitted parcels to the city's upgraded lagoon wastewater treatment system. With this implementation, the city will increase revenues which will be used for the wastewater infrastructure's operation and maintenance costs. These Rural Development funds will support wastewater improvements which should lessen the operators' exposures to hazardous conditions and mitigate the back up of raw sewage into homes and other infrastructure as a result of failing septic systems.
• The City of Choteau is receiving a loan for $2,000,000 and a grant for $1,042,000 through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program to improve its water system by upgrading and replacing 6,000 linear feet of aging waterline, developing a new water supply source, and constructing 6,200 lineal feet of 12-inch transmission main to connect the new source to the system. This project will also result in replacing 5,200 linear feet of asbestos cement pipe with PVC pipe, replacing 4,200 linear feet of ductile iron pipe with new PVC, and replacing water meters on individual water service lines.
• The Town of Valier is receiving a loan for $210,000 through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program to improve their wastewater system by installing influent screening, removing accumulated sludge, replacing 1,900 linear feet of collection main, and installing three required manholes. The funds should lessen the operators' exposures to hazardous conditions, increase the total lagoon volume, and mitigate the back up of raw sewage into homes, the town's school and other community infrastructure.