USDA invests nearly $50 million into water infrastructure in rural Kansas

Four towns and one county have received funding to upgrade their water and wastewater infrastructure, an urgent need across much of the rural U.S.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing more than $49 million for water and wastewater infrastructure repairs and upgrades in four towns and one county in rural Kansas.

“Our rural communities in Kansas are in desperate need of investment and infrastructure. Water and sewer is no exception to that,” said Christy Davis, the state director of USDA Rural Development for Kansas.

The cities of Girard, Humboldt, Mankato and Perry, as well as Neosho County will receive the funding. The money comes from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program.

Aging infrastructure is an issue across the country — the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the country will need to spend $744 billion on water infrastructure in the next decade. It’s an especially difficult issue for rural communities that often struggle to come up with necessary funds.