Iowa Counties impacted: Buena Vista, Fremont, Pottawattamie and Shelby
DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 21, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that the Agency is investing $21,457,000 in loans and $4,695,000 in grants to provide clean, safe water and promote economic growth in rural Iowa communities as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda.
“USDA invests in rural America because we know strong communities are rooted in their people,” said Director Greenfield. “The investments we’re announcing today demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to ensuring that people who live and work in rural areas have every opportunity to succeed – and that they can find those opportunities right at home.”
The investments in Iowa are part of a larger national announcement made today by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack totaling $772.6 million for 216 projects. A full list of projects from today’s announcement is available online.
Background
The six investments for Iowa came through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program. This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.
-City of Linn Grove in Buena Vista County received a $994,000 loan and a $1,700,000 grant to connect with Iowa Lakes Regional Water's bulk-treated water supply. The project will replace aged distribution piping, services, and meters to increase the system's reliability and pressure. This rural community experiences high manganese levels in the existing well supply which has a do-not-drink restriction in place. The project will provide residents with clean drinking water and bring the city into compliance with water-quality standards.
-Alta Municipal Utilities received a $10,405,000 loan and a $2,995,000 grant to provide clean drinking water to the city of Alta. This project will construct a reverse osmosis treatment facility and replace asbestos cement pipes to bring the aged distribution system up to modern standards. Once completed, this project will mitigate health risks for water maintenance and construction workers and enable the city to meet water quality goals. The project will also promote the health and safety of city residents and residents of nearby Nokomis Township in this rural Buena Vista County area.
-City of Randolph in Fremont County received a $351,000 loan to provide additional financing to help improve the lift station and sewer collection and lagoon systems. The project will help reduce excessive infiltration and inflow levels which have caused hydraulic overload and discharges more frequently than allowed by permit. The project will help improve water service and promote the health and safety of community residents, businesses, and visitors.
-Regional Water received a $4,324,000 loan to expand water service. This project will construct 12.25 miles of rural potable water piping infrastructure to two housing developments under construction in rural Pottawattamie County. The project will promote the health and safety of this rural community's residents, businesses, and visitors.
-Harlan Municipal Utilities received a $2,644,000 loan to provide additional funding to improve the water system in the city of Harlan. This project will drill four new wells, construct four new well houses, install new raw water mains to connect the new wells to the existing distribution piping, and install new electrical conduit in the well field. The aged raw water transmission main currently limits available capacity to the treatment plant, which presents a health risk during an extended demand period. Once completed, the project will provide adequate water supplies and will promote the health and safety of the residents of this rural Shelby County community.
-City of Elk Horn received a $2,739,000 loan to improve the controlled discharge lagoon wastewater treatment facility. This project will replace aged components and remove accumulated sludge. This project will slipline and seal sewers and manholes to reduce infiltration and inflow. Once completed, the project will mitigate an imminent health and sanitation hazard, enable the city to meet wastewater standards, and promote the health of residents of this rural Shelby County community.
Contact USDA Rural Development
USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.3 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas. Office locations include a state office in Des Moines, along with area offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas in Iowa, call (515) 284-4663 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans 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, Tribal, and high-poverty areas.
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