[미국] 아이오와 물시스템 향상에 2천500만 달러 지원

미국 농무부 장관 톰 빌색(Tom Vilsack)은 남동부 아이오와(Iowa)의 수질을 개선할 수 있는 폐수시설을 강화토록 페어필드시(City of Fairfield)를 돕는 USDA의 물과 환경 프로그램을 통해 자금을 제공한다고 발표했다.

빌색은 "아이오와(Iowa)와 다른 주에서 발생한 최근의 홍수는 고기능 폐수시스템이 우리 사회에 얼마나 중요한지를 보여줬다"면서 "오수 처리시스템과 안전한 식수는 공중보건뿐만 아니라 시골 지역의 경제 활력에도 중요하다"고 말했다.

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USDA FURNISHES $25M WATER SYSTEM INVESTMENT IN IOWA 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced funding through USDA's Water and Environmental programs to help the City of Fairfield make enhancements to its wastewater facility that will improve the water quality in southeast Iowa.

"The recent flooding in Iowa and other parts of the country has demonstrated just how important high-functioning wastewater systems are to our communities. Sanitary waste disposal systems and safe drinking water are vital not only to public health, but also to the economic vitality of rural America," Vilsack said. "Building and maintaining water infrastructure creates jobs, boosts the economy, provides rural families with safe and reliable water, and this particular investment will help to minimize the impact of future flooding on homes and businesses in southeast Iowa."

USDA Rural Development is awarding a $24,995,000 direct loan to the City of Fairfield that will help rehabilitate the city's existing wastewater facility and bring it into compliance with Iowa Department of Natural Resources requirements. The existing plant was originally constructed in 1966, with updates and improvements added in 1984 and 2013. Still, the plant is not able to meet discharge limits and overflows to a local stream during heavy rain events.

This loan, the largest USDA Water and Environmental Programs loan ever issued in Iowa, will allow city leaders to implement a master plan over the next 10 years to make improvement to the treatment plant, repair much of the collection system and address high flows during rains. Treatment plant upgrades include such things as new trash screens, new grit removal systems and pumps, as well as an enlarged flow equalization basin.

Interest rates for this program which provides rural communities with the technical assistance and financing necessary to develop drinking water and waste disposal systems are currently at historic low levels.

For more information on how USDA's investments have served to protect and sustain America's water supply, please visit the Impact of USDA Investments to Protect and Sustain America's Water Supply Fact Sheet.

Since 2009, USDA Rural Development has invested nearly $13 billion to start or expand 112,000 rural businesses; helped 1.2 million rural residents buy homes; funded nearly 9,200 community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. USDA also has invested $31.3 billion in 963 electric projects that have financed more than 185,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving 4.6 million rural residents. For more information, visit USDA's entry on our medium.com website, "Rural America is Back in Business."

[출처 = Water World / 2016년 10월 18일]