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USDA Rural Development outlines water, wastewater and community facilities funding and application steps
Summary
USDA Rural Development described Water and Waste Disposal loans and grants, Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants, Colonias funding, Tribal 306(c) grants, SEARCH and Predevelopment Planning Grants, and Community Facilities direct loans and grants, including current rates and eligibility rules.
Jennifer Stroud and Serena Ramos from USDA Rural Development summarized Water and Environmental Programs (WEP) and Community Facilities funding available to rural communities and tribal entities.
Stroud described the WEP loan and grant program for water and wastewater disposal, noting eligible applicants include public bodies, special districts, nonprofit corporations and federally recognized tribes serving populations of 10,000 or fewer. She described interest-rate tiers tied to the state's nonmetropolitan median household income and said grant availability can reach up to 75% for very low-income service areas that correct a health or sanitary concern.
She outlined other USDA WEP programs: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants for drought or disaster responses (up to $1 million), Colonia grants for areas within 150 miles of the U.S.–Mexico border, Tribal 306(c) grants with per-capita and unemployment thresholds, SEARCH and Predevelopment Planning Grants to cover planning costs for applicants seeking USDA funding.
Ramos presented Community Facilities programs that fund hospitals, clinics, day cares, firehouses and community centers for towns under 20,000 (direct loans and grants) or guarantee loans for communities under 50,000. She said loans are fixed-rate and typically have terms up to 35 years at current advertised rates (presenter cited approximately 4.25% as an example) and that grants often have smaller maximums (presenter noted typical smaller grant amounts and year-round application windows).
Application process: USDA recommended building community support, meeting with local USDA staff to shape applications, developing environmental and engineering documents, and using RD Apply for secure online submission. Presenters gave recent project examples and said USDA staff would be available in breakout rooms for applicant questions.
