WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced the award of more than $19.7 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grants and low-interest loans to improve water and wastewater systems for residents in Senatobia and five Mississippi counties.

The USDA Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants Program supports infrastructure improvement projects for water districts and communities with fewer than 10,000 residents.

“Safe water and wastewater services are essential to the health and wellbeing of our communities,” Wicker said.  “These USDA investments will provide a much-needed boost to public water systems across our state as they work to modernize and expand their existing infrastructure.”

“These grants and loans will help local utilities provide water and wastewater services to their customers more efficiently.  The infrastructure improvements should also increase safety and cost savings,” said Hyde-Smith, who has worked to secure funding for this program as a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.

USDA Rural Development grants and loans awarded to Mississippi include:

• City of Senatobia, Tate County – $8,019,000 loan to upgrade wastewater system components and increase capacity to reduce system failures.
• East Oktibbeha Wastewater District, Oktibbeha County – $3,240,000 loan and $2,128,000 grant to expand existing wastewater collection and treatment system to serve an additional 337 households.
• NTS Utilities Association, Lauderdale County – $4,258,000 loan to replace distribution lines, install meters, and construct a water production well.
• Sunnyhill Water Association, Pike County – $556,000 loan and $394,000 grant to construct a new 500 gallon-per-minute water well and water lines within the system.
• Buffalo Water Association, Inc., Wilkinson County – $472,000 loan and $379,000 grant to upgrade a 200 gallon-per-minute water well, provide an emergency power generator, and replace nonfunctioning water meters.

Foxworth Water and Sewerage Association, Marion County – $143,000 loan and $116,000 grant to replace existing household water meters with automatic radio-read water meters.