Calling on Congress To Support Water Services in Small Communities

April 28, 2018

Laws & Regs

Increasing funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant Program can help provide water services to thousands of small communities and rural areas. In February, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) and other water sector organizations sent a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Appropriations Committees to request $650 million for grants and $2 billion for loans through the program.

The letter asks Congress to support the program in the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill that will appear before the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food, and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. Increased funding would help alleviate the more than $3 billion backlog in applications from eligible rural communities across the country, according to the letter.

The program’s funding has gone directly to rural customers. This has helped improve public health and safety of small community water systems and spur economic development in these communities.

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