As part of $267 million nationwide announcement of grant and loan funding from the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development, the Village of Tampico in Whiteside County will receive a loan of $1,565,000 and a grant of $1,000,000 that will be used to replace 2.47 miles of water main line, which will address health & sanitary issues as well as support water flow in the Village of 790 residents.
The USDA is making investments in 35 states through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funds can be used to finance drinking water, storm water drainage, and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.
In FY 2018, the US Congress provided a historic level of funding for water and wastewater infrastructure through the 2018 Omnibus bill- including $5.2 billion for USDA loans and grants, up from $1.2 billion in FY 2017. The legislation also directed Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to make investments in rural communities with the greatest infrastructure needs. Secretary Perdue has followed through on that directive as well as recommending a series of findings to the Administration to align the federal government with state, local, and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America.
Increasing investment in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the Task Force run by Secretary Perdue.