USDA funding $22.4M in Kansas infrastructure improvements

Wil Day
·3 min read

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The United States Department of Agriculture has announced $22.4 million in grants for various projects in rural communities in Kansas.

The grants will fund projects for high-speed internet access, water, and sewer improvements.

“High-speed internet and reliable infrastructure make it possible for rural Kansans to live and work in the communities they love,” says  Kansas State Director for Rural Development Christy Davis.

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The grant details are:

  • A $997,000 grant to help promote the expansion of high-speed internet in Rawlins, Kiowa, Gove, Kearny, Wilson, and Linn counties. The Kansas Department of Commerce will use funding to provide technical assistance to the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) which will facilitate pre-engineering design and cost studies to determine broadband buildout costs and current barriers to deployment. KOBD, with Rural Utility Service staff, will then work with local governments to understand and analyze the results of these studies, develop mitigation strategies, and identify the next steps for effective broadband deployment, including the use of federal and state funding sources.

  • A $1,725,000 loan will help complete improvements to the sewer collection system for the City of Wakefield including the upgrade of the wastewater treatment system and construction of a non-discharging lagoon with irrigation.

  • A $2,284,000 loan and a $921,000 grant to help the City of Burden complete the rehabilitation of the water and wastewater systems which includes repairing approximately 15,000 feet of collection lines and upgrading approximately 22,250 feet of main and service lines.

  • A $1,205,000 loan and a $1,127,000 grant for the City of Hanston to help construct a new non-discharging lagoon facility.

  • A $2,925,000 loan for the City of Valley Falls to refurbish the wastewater collection system. The project will include pipe repairs, pipe replacement, heavy pipe cleaning, and manhole repairs and replacement.

  • A $35,000 loan and a $1,126,000 grant for the City of Vermillion to rehabilitate its water distribution system. The project will install approximately 6,500 feet of distribution piping, including new fire hydrants, valves, and other equipment.

  • A $5,819,000 loan for Belle Blaine to help build a new 300,000-gallon elevated storage tank and a new ion exchange nitrate removal treatment plant.  The project will also replace the water distribution system, and the telemetry systems, and install a new automated meter reading system.

  • A $1,772,000 loan will help complete repairs to the Fall River dam, upgrade the Little Bear elevated storage tank, expand the distribution system, and provide sewer extension to the hospital in Neodesha.

  • A $795,000 loan and a $1,691,000 grant for the Little Blue Natural Resources District to develop a new water source for the rural water system. The project will consist of developing two municipal wells, purchasing a generator, installing 16.2 miles of transmission main, a booster pump station, installing a 50,000-gallon ground-level storage tank, installing 400 meters, software, and a control system.

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