USDA TO FUND $210 MILLION IN SAFE DRINKING WATER PROJECTS Release No.0282.99 Andrew Kauders (202) 720-4623 andrew.kauders@usda.gov USDA TO FUND $210 MILLION IN SAFE DRINKING WATER PROJECTS National Effort Will Also Boost Economies of Poor Rural Areas WASHINGTON, July 12, 1999 Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today said the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund $210 million in safe drinking water projects in 40 states. The new grants and loans announced today represent the largest package of financial assistance ever distributed under the Clinton-Gore Administration's Water 2000 program. The 100 projects awarded funding today bolster the President's New Markets initiative, designed to help low-income communities share in the unprecedented prosperity most parts of the country are currently enjoying. "These loans and grants are another example of how we can continue to grow our economy without endangering our environment. The need for clean water is not only a critical public health issue, it is also a key factor in promoting rural economic development," Vice President Gore said. "Without safe, reliable drinking water, no community can attract the new businesses needed to provide America's families with good-paying jobs." "There are still areas, particularly farming communities and smaller rural towns, that are not sharing in our generally strong economy," Glickman said. "The President's New Markets tour helped demonstrate that areas like these represent a tremendous untapped potential for business investment. But before companies will invest in poverty-stricken communities, there has to be some basic infrastructure." Last week, Glickman accompanied President Clinton on his New Markets tour of the country. According to Glickman, at least 2 million rural residents in this country who live with serious drinking water problems, including an estimated 740,000 people who have no running water whatsoever. "That's a crime and we need to do better," Glickman said. The USDA awards target rural communities plagued by some of the nation's worst water quality and dependability problems. Children and the elderly are at particular risk from illnesses caused by unclean drinking water. The Administration's Water 2000 Initiative, launched in August 1994, has already invested in projects to improve drinking water for more than 2.8 million Americans. "Our Water 2000 effort to improve safe drinking water for rural Americans totals over $210 million," said Glickman "In addition, USDA's financial assistance will leverage more than $75 million from local water districts, county governments, state agencies, and other federal sources to help improve drinking water quality and dependability." The loans and grants announced today include -- $24 million for 12 projects serving low-income, rural towns in Appalachia; $13.7 million for seven projects in seven Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities; $12.3 million for impoverished colonias in four Southwest states; and $7.2 million for five projects in impoverished Mississippi Delta communities. According to Glickman, since 1994, USDA has invested nearly $2 billion in Water 2000 projects in more than 1,600 rural communities nationwide. At least 2 million rural Americans live with critical drinking water quality and availability problems, including an estimated 740,000 people who have no running water in their homes. An estimated 5 million additional rural residents are affected by less critical, but still significant, water-related difficulties. These include undersized or poorly protected water sources, a lack of adequate storage facilities, and antiquated distribution systems. # U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE WATER AND WASTE DISPOSAL PROGRAM 1 9 9 9 W A T E R 2 0 0 0 R O L L O U T State Name of Project County Type Loan Grant USDA Total AK Chevak W/S 2,550,000 2,550,000 Selawik W/S 2,625,000 2,625,000 Brevig Mission W/S 1,875,000 1,875,000 Pilot Station W/S 1,013,250 1,013,250 AR Independence Jackson Jackson W 645,800 510,700 1,156,500 Community Water Cleburne W 347,000 212,000 559,000 AZ San Luis EZ/EC)(Colonia) Yuma S 1,924,70 2,369,000 4,293,700 Somerton (Colonia) Yuma W 460,800 460,800 Congress Water Yavapai W 584,950 754,580 1,339,530 CA Huron Fresno W 986,000 2,458,0003, 444,000 Winterhaven (Colonia) Imperial W 350,000 350,000 Rincon (Colonia)(IN) San Diego W 628,000 628,000 Heber (Colonia) Imperial S 1,008,500 2,291,342 3,299,842 CT Ashford Windham W 1,100,000 1,100,000 FL Bushnell Sumter S 2,800,000 2,000,000 4,800,000 Bagdad-Garcon Point Santa/RosaW 850,000 850,000 Freeport Walton S 280,000 280,000 IA SIRWA, NW Adams Adams W 1,539,000 660,000 2,199,000 Clay Co. Rural Water Clay W 1,350,000 700,000 2,050,000 ID Shoshone-Bannock (IN) Bingham W 665,000 1,200,000 1,865,000 IL Western Wayne Wayne W 500,000 387,000 887,000 ABS Water Co-op Adams W 1,394,000 1,000,000 2,394,000 Ford Heights Cook W 1,000,000 1,030,000 2,030,000 Bond Madison Bond W 2,275,000 1,300,000 3,575,000 IN Lapel Water Madison W 1,444,000 1,444,000 Patoka W&S Gibson W 2,387,000 2,175,000 4,562,000 KS Public Water #18 Jackson W 4,778,000 1,060,000 5,838,000 KY Rattlesnake Ridge Carter W 900,000 900,000 1,800,000 Prestonsburg Floyd W 796,000 796,000 Warren County Warren W 2,000,000 2,000,000 Albany (EZ/EC) Clinton S 338,000 1,000,000 1,338,000 LA Vermillion Vermillion W 1,368,000 845,000 2,213,000 Prairie Des Femmes St. Landry W 334,000 252,000 586,000 Henderson-Nina St. Martin W 1,179,000 51,000 1,230,000 Ferriday (EZ/EC) Concordia W 362,000 775,000 1,137,000 MA Egremont Berkshire W 686,100 995,520 1,681,620 Warren Worcester S 40,000 560,000 1,000,000 MD Lonaconing Allegany W 880,000 880,000 ME Waterboro Water Dist York W 167,000 50,000 217,000 Mount Blue Franklin W 80,000 132,000 212,000 Anson Water Somerset W 185,000 185,000 MI Gobegic Range Gobegic W 3,292,000 2,713,000 6,005,000 Franklin/Quincy Houghton W 626,000 1,843,000 2,469,000 MN Willow River Pine W 474,000 1,344,000 1,818,000 Bois Forte Chippewa (IN)St. Louis W/S 224,600 658,000 882,600 MO Consolidated of Clark Co. Clark W 750,000 750,000 MS Hancock Co. Hancock W 855,100 1,224,700 2,079,800 Hotophia Panola W 463,000 463,000 Sunrise Forrest W 648,000 184,000 832,000 Tutwiler (EZ/EC) Tallahatchie S 566,200 1,578,500 2,144,700 MT Lake County/Arlee (IN) Lake S 495,000 1,142,800 1,637,800 NC Northampton Northampton W 2,870,000 2,870,000 Robeson Co. Robeson W 13,430,500 13,430,500 ND SW Pipeline Hettinger/Grant W 1,000,000 1,100,000 2,100,000 Ransom Sargent Ransom/Sargent W 2,423,000 2,423,000 NE Weston Saunders W 216,000 334,000 550,000 Concord Dixon W 14,000 42,800 56,800 NJ Buena MUA Atlantic W/S 392,300 1,067,700 1,460,000 NM Acoma Pueblo (IN) Cibola W 350,000 1,050,000 1,400,000 Dona Ana (Colonia) Dona Ana W 509,800 920,300 1,430,100 Sunland Park (Colonia)Dona Ana W 500,000 1,800,000 2,300,000 Ledoux (EZ/EC) Mora W 110,000 330,000 440,000 NY Duansburg Schenectady S 100,000 1,700,000 1,800,000 Norwich Chenango W 4,124,800 4,124,800 Deposit Delaware W 462,300 542,000 1,004,300 Hannibal Oswego W 2,257,700 703,600 2,961,300 OH Southern Columbiana Columbiana W 8,000,000 6,000,000 14,000,000 W. Malta Morgan W 944,000 848,000 1,792,000 Newport Washington W 1,202,000 800,000 2,002,000 OK Hugo (EZ/EC) Chowtaw S 1,500,000 2,500,000 4,000,000 Hughes Co. Hughes W 407,800 407,800 OR Hubbard (PNW) Marion W 1,785,200 169,100 1,954,300 Rock Creek (PNW) Polk W 496,500 900,000 1,396,500 Rufus (PNW) Sherman W 529,200 450,800 980,000 Veneta (PNW) Lane S 4,255,700 2,244,300 6,500,000 PA Derry Westmoreland S 5,256,000 2,268,000 7,524,000 Farmington Clarion W 1,160,000 966,000 2,126,000 Harrison Township Potter S 1,187,100 1,437,200 2,624,300 Wattsburg Borough Erie W 780,000 447,500 1,227,500 SC Alligator Rural Water Chesterfield W 1,268,100 612,600 1,880,700 SD Fall River Fall River W 2,000,000 2,000,000 Oglala Sioux (IN) Jackson W/S 148,750 446,250 595,000 Lakota Fund (IN) Todd W/S 71,250 213,750 285,000 TN Fentress County Fentress W 490,000 410,000 900,000 Warren County Warren W 1,624,000 700,000 2,324,000 Jamestown Fentress S 300,000 380,000 680,000 Monterey Putnam S 100,000 170,000 270,000 TX Fort Belknap Young W 192,500 157,500 350,000 Bluffdale Erath W 189,000 170,000 359,000 S.E. Water Corp Leon W 869,500 2,230,000 3,099,500 Cisco Eastland W/S 1,433,000 1,433,000 Seaboard (Colonia) San Patricio W 180,000 180,000 UT Long Park Dam/Manila Daggett W 750,000 750,000 VA Bayview (EZ/EC) Northampton S 528,500 528,500 Amelia County Amelia W 900,000 920,000 1,820,000 Sand Mountain Wythe W/S 649,000 649,000 WA Spokane Tribe (IN) Stevens W 223,500 284,000 507,500 Chelan River Chelan W 100,000 900,000 1,000,000 Boisfort Water (PNW) Lewis W 918,700 829,300 1,748,000 WI Curtiss Clark W 130,000 1,251,500 1,381,500 Country Estates Water Walworth W 1,925,000 1,925,000 Catawba/Kennan Price S 751,000 1,861,000 2,612,000 WV Mingo County Mingo W 2,200,000 2,000,000 4,200,000 Downs Marion W 240,000 240,000 Central Barbour Barbour W 2,000,000 200,000 2,200,000 Pleasant Hill Calhoun W 150,000 175,000 325,000 Totals 117,429,150 93,524,89 210,954,042 Projects: 106 States: 40 7 EZ/EC Projects 4 Native Alaska Villages 8 Colonia Projects 8 Indian Projects 5 PNW Projects 79 Water Projects 17 Sewer Projects 10 Combined W/S Projects Explanatory Notes: W=Drinking Water S=Sewer W/S=Water/Sewer Combined IN= On a Federally-recognized Indian reservation EZ/EC= In a Federal Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community PNW= Funded from Pacific Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative set-aside