Denver — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper welcomed over $170 million in loans and grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for 12 Colorado projects in rural and Tribal communities to expand access to safe drinking water and reliable energy.
“Everyone deserves access to clean and safe water, no matter where they live. However, far too many rural communities in Colorado face the challenges of aging or unsafe water infrastructure,” said Bennet. “I’m glad towns from Holly to Del Norte will receive this federal support to help them continue delivering reliable, clean water to Coloradans across the state.”’
“Where you live shouldn’t determine if you have clean water to drink or reliable electricity to keep the lights on,” said Hickenlooper. “From Rocky Ford to Silverton, these investments will create thousands of good-paying jobs while expanding access to safe drinking water and reliable energy.”
The funding announcement is part of a $1.3 billion nationwide investment to make water infrastructure and the electrical grid more resilient to extreme weather, while creating thousands of well-paying jobs in the process. This funding comes from USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants and the Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee programs. It is divided between over $127 million in grant funding and over $42 million in federal loans to the 12 Colorado projects.
A full list of selected projects is below:
|
Recipient |
Grant Awarded |
Loan Awarded |
Description |
Location |
|
Hunter Solar |
N/A |
$38,285,000 |
Provide long term financing of a 75 MW solar farm |
Arapahoe County |
|
San Miguel Power Association |
N/A |
$29,784,000 |
Build and improve power lines, invest in smart grid technologies |
San Miguel County |
|
City of Rocky Ford |
$7,935,000 |
$20,351,000 |
Replace problematic sections of the existing water system |
City of Rocky Ford |
|
Town of Del Norte |
$11,018,000 |
$12,010,000 |
Replace undersized and failing water piping and add fire hydrants to extend firefighting coverage |
Town of Del Norte |
|
Montezuma Water Company |
N/A |
$15,300,000 |
Modernize the water system to increase capacity, install new water pumps |
Montezuma County |
|
Town of Holly |
$6,189,000 |
$4,740,000 |
Construct a new well and treatment plant and improve system efficiency |
Town of Holly |
|
Town of Walsh |
$4,404,000 |
$1,550,000 |
Upgrade the water treatment system |
Town of Walsh |
|
Sedalia Water and Sanitation District |
$5,045,000 |
$561,000 |
Help replace an aging water distribution system and connect the system to Castle Rock’s water system |
Douglas County |
|
Town of Silverton |
$2,764,000 |
$2,165,000 |
Improve wastewater treatment facilities |
Town of Silverton |
|
Town of Bethune |
$2,662,000 |
$1,523,000 |
Decommission existing treatment plant and construct a new 3-pond evaporation system |
Town of Bethune |
|
Meadow Mountain Water Supply Company |
$1,974,000 |
$441,000 |
Repair failing water distribution system |
Allenspark, CO |
|
Marble Water Company |
$455,000 |
$1,158,000 |
Install new distribution lines, fire hydrants, and water pumps |
Town of Marble |