Earth Day 2002 Projects Funded

PROJECTS FUNDED TO COMMEMORATE EARTH DAY 2002
All projects, unless otherwise noted, are made possible through USDA's
Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program

Alabama:

Sycamore, Alabama - $388,000. Funds, including a $103,000 loan and $285,000 grant, will be used by the Sycamore Water and Sewer Authority to add 21 new customers and expand the treatment facility, as well as make numerous improvements to the wastewater system. Current monies received from USDA Rural Development, as well as funds received in 1997, gave the Authority the opportunity to expand and improve a failing wastewater system and the ability to stop sewer run-off from polluting a nearby creek. The partnership between USDA and the Sycamore Water and Sewer Authority has helped improve the quality of life for residents of this small mill village.

Alaska:

Palmer, Alaska - $1,300,000. This grant of $1.3 million will be used by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough for sewer system upgrades.

Arizona:

Navajo City, Arizona - $554,639. Funds, including a $305,059 loan and $249,580 grant, will be used by the Hopi Tribe - Kykotsmovi Wastewater Improvement Project to construct a community wastewater facility to serve the Hopi Tribe's village of Kykotsmovi. The sewer project will connect two existing community sewer treatment and disposal facilities, eliminating 39 septic systems. It will also complete a sewer lagoon and wetlands.

Marana, Arizona - $990,000 Rural Development Colonias Grant. Funds will be used by the Pima County Wastewater Management Department to construct a collection system in Honea Heights, a Colonias in the town of Marana that will connect a new sewer main to a water treatment plant. The system will hook up 200 existing users to a new sewer main that will flow to the existing wastewater treatment plant.

Colonias are subdivisions that are outside incorporated areas located along the US-Mexico border. Water and waste disposal systems can obtain up to a 100 percent grant to construct basic drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste disposal and storm drainage, to serve residents of a Colonias.

Idaho:

Horsebend, Idaho - $860,000. Funds, including a $600,000 loan and $260,000 grant, will be used by the city of Horseshoe Bend to upgrade its existing sewer treatment plant and bring it into compliance with the city's NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

Illinois:

Brookport, Illinois - $350,000. Grant funds of $350,000 will be used by the city of Brookport to construct a new, elevated water storage tank which will replace an old tank that is in poor repair. The new tank will ensure that the city has a safe, dependable water supply.

Hindsboro, Illinois - $2,400,000. Funds, including a $1.4 million loan and a $1 million grant, will be used by the Embarras Area Water District to construct 53 miles of water mains and an elevated storage tank. Many families in several townships must currently haul water in to meet their basic, daily needs. This can be very costly. About 200 rural households and farms in these five townships will now have a safe, dependable water supply. This project will also make connections for the communities of Oakland and Hindsboro which have consistently been subject to droughts that jeopardize their water supplies.

Vienna, Illinois - $3,750,000. Funds, including a $1.2 million loan and a $2.55 million grant, will be used by the Millstone Water District to construct a 200,000 gallon water storage tank and water mains, as well as make other improvements. This project, most of which is located in the Southern Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone, will create a safe, reliable water supply for 135 new users and provide wholesale water to the city of Vienna and the Vienna Correctional Center.

Iowa:

Lincoln, Iowa - $652,000. The funds, including a $186,000 loan and $466,000 grant, will be used by the Central Iowa Rural Water Association for construction of collection, waste treatment, and force main systems. Each household and business in this town of 182 residents has its own septic tank. Most of these tanks illegally discharge into a nearby public stream. Because lots are small they would not be able to meet today's standards of design for septic systems. Completion of the centralized system will benefit all residents with a reliable affordable sanitary sewer service. Environmental, health and sanitary conditions will be improved. Housing needs and business opportunities that are currently restricted by the lack of a centralized sewer system will now be available.

St. Anthony, Iowa - $538,000. The funds, including a $139,000 loan and $399,000 grant, will be used by the Central Iowa Rural Water Association for a central gravity collection system, pump station and two-cell controlled discharged lagoon. Each household and business in this town of 109 residents has its own septic tank. Most of these tanks illegally discharge into a nearby public stream. Because lots are small they would not be able to meet today's standards of design for septic systems. Completion of a centralized system will benefit all residents with a reliable affordable sanitary sewer service. Environmental, health and sanitary conditions will be improved. Housing needs and business opportunities that are currently restricted by the lack of a centralized sewer system will now be available.

Riverton, Iowa - $1,207,000. The funds, including a $564,000 loan and $643,000 grant, will be used by the city of Riverton to construct a centralized gravity flow wastewater collection and lagoon treatment system. The new system will have environmental consequences because of the city's adjacent proximity to wetlands and a game management area. The centralized system will improve water quality and the quality of life for the residents of the community.

Gruver, Iowa - $529,100. Funds, including a $251,000 loan and $278,100 grant, will be used by the Clay County Water District to construct a centralized system consisting of a collection system and lagoon. Each household and business in this city of 106 residents has its own septic tank which flows into a tile system. Because partially treated wastewater is being improperly discharged, the system is now failing. This project will benefit all residents with a reliable affordable sanitary sewer service. Environmental, health and sanitary conditions will be improved. Housing needs and business opportunities that may be currently restricted by the lack of a centralized sewer system will now be available.

Kentucky:

Caldwell County, Kentucky - $1,315,000. Funds, including a $815,000 loan and a $500,000 grant, will be used by the Caldwell County Water District to install approximately 46 miles of waterlines to serve 118 new users in rural Caldwell County.

Harrodsburg, Kentucky - $1,800,000. Funds, including a $900,000 loan and a $900,000 grant, will be used by the city of Harrodsburg to improve its collection and treatment system which serves 2,980 existing customers in rural Mercer County.

Hickman, Kentucky - $430,000. Funds, including a $215,000 loan and a $215,000 grant, will be used by the city of Hickman to rehabilitate its existing wastewater collection system which serves 1,129 customers in rural Fulton County.

Pikeville, Kentucky - $1,110,000. Funds, including a $740,000 loan and a $370,000 grant, will be used by the Mountain Water District to provide sanitary sewer service to an additional 432 households in rural Pike County. This project will eliminate 94 "straight pipes", 68 failing septic systems and several small package treatment plants.

Louisiana:

Winnsboro, Louisiana - $5,388,000. Funds, including a $3,054,000 loan and $2,334,000 grant, will be used by the city of Winnsboro to construct four new wells with a total capacity of 2,000 GPM, a transmission system consisting of eighteen miles of 8" to 18" PVC water lines, a 1 million gallon storage tank, and a pumping station. Completion of this project will provide a safe and adequate water supply to more than 2,138 rural residents and 335 commercial users in the community. The existing well field is being contaminated, with one of the existing four wells being shut down and the other three wells enduring not only contamination threats from an old underground gasoline storage tank site, but also the infiltration of salt in the water supply.

Concordia Parish, Louisiana - $5,818,000. Funds, including a $1,530,000 loan and a $4,288,000 grant, will be used by the Concordia Sewer District #1 for a network of gravity mains and lift stations to several different developed areas and communities. Completion of the project will result in improved wastewater treatment and collection for 1,029 residential users. The proposed wastewater system will also provide wastewater service to 253 rural residents and nine commercial users, presently without wastewater service. Better environmental conditions will result from the merger of a number of small sewer systems.

Iberville Parish, Louisiana - $1,920,000. The $1,920,000 loan will be used by the Iberville Parish Waterworks District #2 to make water system improvements, including the installation of approximately 9.5 miles of 12" and 8" PVC water mains and appurtenances. In addition, the project will construct a 500,000 gallon elevated storage tank and booster station. This project will enhance water pressure and water storage capacity. It will also provide improved water service to 1,200 rural residents and 138 commercial users.

Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana - $3,759,000. Funds, including a $3,049,000 loan and a $710,000 grant, will be used by the Jefferson Davis Water and Sewer Commission for the construction of approximately 116 miles of new water lines. These lines will provide potable water to approximately 948 new customers currently without public water access. The project will provide construction of a 950-gallon per minute water well and upgrade an existing water well.

Maine:

Gardiner, Maine - $2,740,000. Funds, including a $1,507,000 loan and a $1,233,000 grant, will be used by the city of Gardiner to construct a Combined Sewer Overflow abatement structure, a settling/storage tank, and a chlorination/dechlorination tank. It will also upgrade the wastewater treatment plant and wastewater lines, upgrade the pump stations, correct sewer defects within the drainage areas and repair defective wastewater lines.

Maryland:

Chester Park, Maryland - $250,000. The $250,000 grant will be used by Talbot County to extend a wastewater disposal system to 10 homes that will be served and a possible 15 additional lots that are undeveloped. The system will replace private septic systems that are failing and unsafe. Residents currently use outhouses.

Michigan:

Jonesville, Michigan - $6,181,000. Funding, including a $3,381,000 loan and a $2.8 million grant, will be used by the village of Jonesville to renovate and improve the existing sanitary sewer treatment facility. The project will benefit 869 rural customers.

Minnesota:

Canton, Minnesota - $986,000. Funding, including a $411,000 loan and a $575,000 grant, will be used by the city of Canton to finance rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plant.

Lewisville, Minnesota - $973,000. Funding, including a $480,000 loan and a $493,000 grant, will be used by the city of Lewisville to finance wastewater system improvements.

Nassau, Minnesota - $565,000. Funding, including a $160,000 loan and a $405,000 grant, will be used by the city of Nassau to finance wastewater system improvements.

Nerstrand, Minnesota - $903,000. Funding, including a $613,000 loan and a $290,000 grant, will be used by the city of Nerstrand to construct a central city-wide wastewater collection and treatment facility.

New Hampshire:

Plymouth Village, New Hampshire - $1,577,170. Funding, including a $788,585 loan and a $788,585 loan, will be used by the Plymouth Village Water and Sewer District to install additional sewer lines and upgrade the existing pump station. Fifty-two homes presently on septic tanks will be hooked to the Village system which will prevent the potential of a malfunctioning septic system polluting the aquifer that serves approximately 3,500 people in the area. Individual homeowners will have a reliable system for their wastewater, and the economic viability of the area for residential, commercial and industrial development will be increased.

New Jersey:

Newton, New Jersey - $7,002,360. Funding, including a $5.3 million loan and a $1,702,360 grant, will be used by the city of Newton to construct a surface water treatment plant at the Morris Lake Reservoir. This will allow the city to comply with Federal and State DEP requirements that it provide a filtration system in order to satisfy the Safe Water Drinking Act requirement.

New Mexico:

Taos, New Mexico - $1 million. Funding, including a $750,000 loan and a $250,000 grant, will be used by El Valle de los Taos Water and Sanitation District to fund phase I of a wastewater collection system. The construction of a new wastewater system will not only help keep the ground water clean but will also encourage new economic growth. The sewage will be shipped to the existing Taos, New Mexico, plant for treatment.

North Carolina:

Warren County, North Carolina - $5,521,000. Funding, including a $2.9 million loan and a $2,621,000 grant, will be used by the Warren County Water and Sewer District III to construct Phase I of District III' s water system to provide potable water to approximately 1,089 initial users in the eastern half of the county. The proposed project will construct approximately 72 miles of water distribution line, one 300,000 gallon elevated water storage tank, one 250,000 gallon elevated water storage tank, two booster pump stations, two chlorine booster stations, 150 fire hydrants, and necessary appurtenances. Most of the residents in this area presently rely on shallow private wells for a source of water and many of these wells have high concentrations of iron. Also, many of these wells produce water of poor quality and lack adequate water pressure.

Ohio:

Venice Gardens, Ohio - $1,760,000. Funding, including a $1,144,000 loan and a $616,000 grant, will be used by Butler County, Ohio to construct a new $2.7 million wastewater collection system which will serve approximately 315 residential users within the Venice Gardens subdivision. The project will include installation of 17,250 linear feet of sewer collection line and one pump station. The area is currently experiencing deterioration of local water resources and increased health risks to residents due to the discharge of either partially or untreated wastewater in the area streams, rivers and groundwater resources. The immediate planning area is located just north of the Great Miami River, which is listed on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory and designated for its scenic, recreational, historic and cultural qualities.

Oregon:

Irrigon, Oregon - $3,750,000. Funds, including a $2.5 million loan and a $1.25 million grant, will be used by the city of Irrigon for construction of a new wastewater treatment facility and collection system. These upgrades are necessary to eliminate environmental deficiencies in the existing system and to ensure reliable wastewater treatment services to the city's 1,702 residents.

Shady Cove, Oregon - $3,346,000. Funding, including a $2,346,000 loan and a $1 million grant, will be used by the city of Shady Cove to construct a new secondary clarifier, headworks, influent pump, chlorine mixer, storage room, and sludge drying bed.

Pendleton, Oregon - $652,580. This $652,580 grant will be used by the Umatilla Indian Tribe to help fund infrastructure for a tribal housing subdivision.

Pennsylvania:

Cambria County, Pennsylvania - $8,401,650. Funding, including a $3,227,350 loan and a $5,174,300 grant, will be used by the Central Mainline Sewer Authority to construct sanitary sewers to serve 3 townships and one borough. The project will also construct a treatment plant to serve Central Mainline's customers.

Pine Grove, Pennsylvania - $9,104,500. Funding, including a $7,205,900 loan and a $1,898,600 grant, will be used by the Pine Grove Joint Treatment Authority for additional lines to serve 208 users and to construct a new treatment plant to replace the existing plant that does not have sufficient capacity for treatment at this time.

Tennessee:

Wartburg, Tennessee - $423,500. Funding, including a $106,000 loan and a $317,500 grant, will be used by the city of Wartburg to extend sewer collection service. The project includes 1.5 miles of gravity flow lines, about one mile of force main, and one pumping station. The project will serve 495 existing and 35 new users.

Centerville, Tennessee - $2.8 million. Funding, including a $1,960,000 loan and a $840,000 grant, will be used by the town of Centerville to provide a combination of about 18 miles of gravity and force main sewer collection lines. The project will serve 947 existing and 280 new users.

Erwin, Tennessee - $515,000. Funding, including a $350,000 loan and a $165,000 grant, will be used by the town of Erwin to construct about one mile of gravity sewer collection lines, 19 manholes, an 800 square foot extension to the filter press building at the wastewater treatment plant, and a new belt filter. The project will serve 2539 existing and 57 new users.

Jasper, Tennessee - $1,876,200. Funding, including a $1,376,200 loan and a $500,000 grant, will be used by the town of Jasper to replace about 3 miles of water line, extend about 3 miles of line and also extend about 2.5 miles of Lock and Dam water line. The project will serve 3264 existing and 92 new users.

Selmer, Tennessee - $4,193,000. Funding, including a $3,193,000 loan and a $1 million grant, will be used by the town of Selmer to construct approximately 2 miles of replacement gravity sewer lines and replace 52 manholes. The project also includes a main pump station upgrade, about 10 miles of water mains, and a 50,000 gallon water storage tank. It will correct sewer main overflows and main pumping station overflows, and allow for growth on the collection system. The project will serve 9066 existing water and sewer users.

Utah:

White Mesa, Utah - $534,300. This $534,300 grant will be used by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to remove an old water tank and construct a new water tank. A three-phase power supply system will also be connected to the new well. Funding will also include a pump house, additional fencing, chemical feed equipment, and water main upgrades. Contamination and the potential health and safety risks will be eliminated for 85 households living within the community. Additionally, the removal of the old storage tank will greatly reduce the risk of serious injury. Adequate water storage improvements will alleviate the need for residents to haul water in to keep the water tanks filled. The community will have a backup water source and the ability to alternate water pumps. These features, along with larger water mains, will provide for adequate water pressure and flow to the homes in the area.

Virginia:

Weber City, Virginia - $1,760,200. Funding, including a $440,100 loan and a $1,320,100 grant, will be used by the Scott County Public Service Authority to fund the Daniel Boone Water Project in Scott County.

Washington:

Pe Ell, Washington - $1,557,400. Funding, including a $757,400 loan and a $800,000 grant, will be used by the town of Pe Ell to construct a new wastewater treatment facility. During the wet weather months the capacity of the current wastewater treatment facility has been exceeded causing untreated sewage to flow into the nearby Chehalis River. The new facility will improve and protect the water quality of the Chehalis River, which is a Class A body of water and is a source of drinking water, recreation, and fisheries.

West Virginia:

Huttonsville, West Virginia - $2.4 million. Funding, including a $400,000 loan and a $2 million grant, will be used by the Huttonsville Public Service District to construct a main transmission line. This project will provide water to 139 new users and the required bulk water to the district.

Wisconsin:

Cable, Wisconsin - $3,201,000. Funding, including a $1,262,000 loan and a $1,939,000 grant, will be used by the Cable Sanitary District for a new wastewater collection and wastewater treatment facility. The new facility will replace 164 failing private septic systems that are presently polluting the ground and surface water in the Cable area. The Nemakagon, a Wild and Scenic River, flows through the Cable Sanitary District. The residents of Cable, visitors to the area, the Chequamegon National Forest and the Nemakagon River will benefit from an environmentally friendly discharge from the new wastewater treatment plant.

Other projects already funded but with Earth Day Events scheduled:

Indiana:

Idaville, Indiana - $1,938,500. Funds, including a $526,000 loan and $1,412,500 grant, will be used by the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District to construct a sewer collection system.

Kansas:

Hiawatha, Kansas - $4,504,000. Funds, including a $3 million loan and a $1,504,000 grant will be used by the city of Hiawatha to construct a new treatment plant for the central sewer system which will meet applicable health and sanitary standards.

Michigan:

Calvin Township, Michigan - $1.4 million. Funds, including a $350,000 loan and a $1,050,000 grant, will be used by Cass County-Calvin Township to construct a new sewage collection system along Paradise Lake. The system will replace private septic systems that are failing and unsafe and will protect the lake from the risk of contamination by leaking septic systems. The project will serve about 90 predominantly minority households.

Missouri:

Wentworth, Missouri - $159,500. Funding, including a $20,500 loan and a $139,000 grant, will be used by the city of Wentworth to construct a central sewage collection and treatment system for its 138 residents.

Nebraska:

Pilger, Nebraska - $1,325,000. Funding, including a $729,100 loan and a $595,900 grant, will be used by the city of Pilger to construct a new collection system and develop a multiple cell lagoon treatment facility. The project will bring the village's treatment facility and collection system, serving the 378 residents of Pilger, back into compliance with state health and safety standards. The village of Pilger is utilizing an aging mechanical wastewater treatment facility dating back to 1969 which causes the bypassing of raw wastewater into the Elkhorn River due to the sewage plant's inability to handle the flow. Additionally, residents using septic tanks face issues of raw waste discharging into adjoining road ditches. A portion of Pilger is served by a sewer collection system dating back to 1910 which requires additional maintenance and repairs as the sewer lines are failing and are plagued with high infiltration, plugging and ground settlement.

Nevada:

Carlin, Nevada - $350,000. The $350,000 grant will be used by the city of Carlin to extend a water line to the University of Nevada Fire Science Academy and to provide additional commercial and residential hookups. This extension of service will enable the fire academy to reopen, providing a boost to the area economy and an additional revenue source to the city. This loan will supplement $1,000,000 in Water Resource Development Act grant funds in this project.

New Mexico:

Chamberino, New Mexico - $1,120,000. This $1.12 million Colonias grant has been used by the Chamberino MDW & SA to construct a new wastewater system. Construction is now complete and is significant not only because the community needed good clean water running to their homes, but also because the county of Dona Ana will now include Chamberino in the planning of a new regional wastewater project.

North Dakota:

Dickinson, North Dakota - $3,364,000. Funding, including a $1,864,000 loan and a $1,500,000 grant, will be used by the Southwest Rural Water Authority as part of a larger, ongoing $10 million project. Improvements will be made and more users added through this new supply of rural water. Communities will be free of large amounts of sodium in the water.

Oklahoma:

Sardis Lake, Oklahoma - $5,764,000. Funding, including a $1,393,200 loan and a $4,370,800 grant, will be used by the Sardis Lake Water Authority to construct a new regional water treatment and distribution system. The new system will initially provide wholesale water to 3 rural water districts, and retail potable water to 196 residents and 4 small business' without a water supply.

South Dakota:

Oglala Sioux Tribe, South Dakota - $1.3 million. Funding, including a $150,000 loan and $1,150,000 grant, has been used by the Oglala Sioux Tribe for the Pine Ridge Landfill/Baler Building Facility. USDA Rural Development dedicated nine years of effort and cooperation to funding a consolidated landfill and also sought funds to address refuse collection sites and related health problems at numerous places across the reservation. As a result, a new reservation-wide system has been created.

Texas:

Surfside Beach, Texas - $1,581,000. Funding, including a $881,000 loan and a $700,000 grant, will be used by the village of Surfside Beach to construct a sewer collection system which will eliminate the use of individual septic systems that are inadequate to treat sewage during periods of high groundwater.

Utah:

Roosevelt City, Utah - $212,000. Funding, including a $150,000 loan and a $62,000 grant, will be used by Roosevelt City to expand a sewer line and sewer treatment lagoons which will increase capacity of the existing system to meet demands of this growing community. The city could not annex or provide services to residents or businesses on the west side of town due to the elevations of the area. The new line will provide services to all homes and businesses. The resulting benefit to the whole area is a safer and cleaner environment. This project will help protect the Green River and the irrigation ditches that empty into it. The Green River is used extensively for recreational purposes and is habitat of two endangered species, the humpback chub and squaw fish. The river eventually empties into the Colorado River in the Canyon Lands area which is a major drinking water source.

West Virginia:

Mountain View, West Virginia - $1,550,000. This $1,550,000 loan will be used by the Mountain View Water Association to upgrade the existing water pumping station and replace all water lines with a larger size to accommodate current and future expansion. The Association currently serves approximately 480 residential customers, but is not capable of accommodating the growth that has occurred in the area.

Putnam County, West Virginia - $7,078,000. This loan of $7,078,000 will be used by the South Putnam Public Service District to upgrade the existing sewage system and extend sewage collection lines to 465 new customers where individual septic systems have proven ineffective.

Wisconsin:

Red Cliff, Wisconsin - $4,075,000. Funding, including a $708,000 loan and a $3,367,000 grant, will be used by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to construct a new wastewater treatment plant on the Red Cliff Reservation in Northern Wisconsin. result in an environmentally safe discharge into Lake Superior. The existing wastewater treatment plant has been discharging improperly treated sewage into Lake Superior. The safe and clean discharge from the new wastewater treatment plant will result in a cleaner environment for the residents of and visitors to Northern Wisconsin, Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. Lake Superior is one of the most pristine Great Lakes and contains the Apostle Islands that are an integral part of the National Park System.

Iola, Wisconsin - $3,817,000. Funding, including a $2,117,000 loan and a $1.7 million grant, will be used by the village of Iola to construction an oxidation ditch. The new facility will meet Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources discharge permit limits, effectively creating a better environment for the residents of the Village of Iola and for the south branch of the Wolf River.

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