Nelsonville to get Federal Water Infrastructure $$
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $1.2 billion to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure for 936,000 rural Americans living in 46 states, including Ohio, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced in a news release on Wednesday.
Some of that money will go to Nelsonville in Athens County, the release said, though it didn’t say how much.
“Access to water is a key driver for economic opportunity and quality of life in rural communities,” Hazlett said in the release. “Under the leadership of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities in building prosperity through modern water infrastructure.”
Additionally, the release continued, Nelsonville has entered into an agreement with Hocking County to treat waste from un-sewered areas in nearby Murray City and Carbon Hill. State funding will offset the cost of these additional collection systems. The project area is located at the gateway of Wayne National Forest, an important Appalachian recreation and rural tourism centerm the release said, adding that “construction and upgrades will positively impact the health of more than 6,630 rural Ohio residents.”
The USDA is providing financing for 234 water and environmental infrastructure projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funding can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste-disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.