U.S. Department of Agriculture Story Archives - Page 2 of 5

USDA Offers Greenbrier County $75 Million For Water Projects

Gov. Jim Justice, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack toured the water treatment facility on Wednesday that the USDA funds will replace.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its largest-ever utility investment in West Virginia on Wednesday.

The USDA is committing $52.7 million in loans and grants to the City of Lewisburg to replace an aging water treatment facility.

Additionally, the Greenbrier County Public Service District No. 2 will receive $22 million in USDA loans and grants to improve its wastewater collection and treatment systems.

Gov. Jim Justice, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack toured the water treatment facility on Wednesday that the USDA funds will replace.

“You think the commitment USDA has made right here,” Mainchin said. “It’s the largest project ever in the state of West Virginia.”

The projects are also supported by state and local funding through the federal American Rescue Plan, last year’s COVID-19 relief legislation.

New Program Invests In Agriculture, Supply Chains And Nutrition In W.Va.

It’s called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and is part of the American Rescue Plan. The idea is to help small farmers compete, strengthen food bank relationships, and bring more nutritious foods to the state’s rural residents.

A new federally funded program will help West Virginia farmers distribute food to underserved communities and strengthen state supply chains.

The money from the US Department of Agriculture will be distributed by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture to food banks in the state.

Facing Hunger Food Bank and Mountaineer Food Bank will purchase food from five producers that are considered “socially disadvantaged” in the first year. The food will then be distributed to underserved communities.

Officials said in a press release that they plan to expand the program over the next couple of years to purchase from 40 producers, and expects to serve at least 111,000 West Virginians in need.

A portion of these funds will be used for program development, administration, food storage and distribution.

The funds will supplement existing federal food programs in West Virginia and reach communities that are not currently served.

USDA Funds Water Infrastructure In Milton And Tyler County

The Mountain State is receiving funding for water infrastructure from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing the City of Milton and Tyler County with $4,370,000 through the Rural Development Water and Wastewater Disposal Grant and Loan Program.

Milton will receive a $2,552,000 grant and a $1,000,000 loan to address inflow issues with its wastewater collection system. The funding will assist in extending the Milton sewer collection system along U.S. Route 60 and add a lift station to the Salt Rock Public Service District.

Tyler County will receive a $500,000 grant and a $318,000 loan to expand water distribution from Boreman Elementary to Centerville and Alma, expanding drinking water and fire protection to more residents. The funding will assist the construction of a new storage tank to prevent water shortages during dry periods. Funding will also go toward a new booster station for the water system.

“It’s not a want for water, it’s a need,” the Tyler County Public Service District general manager and chief water operator, Tina Lancaster, said. “The residents; most of them haul water daily.”

USDA Awards Money For W.Va. Water Infrastructure Improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding more than $21 million to improve water infrastructure in some of West Virginia’s rural communities.

The funding is set to help improve the state’s water and wastewater systems through a combination of federal grant and loan money.

Grafton will receive a $1 million grant and $4.9 million in loans for its wastewater system.

Kermit will receive a $1 million grant and $2.43 million in loans for its water system.

Stonewood will receive a $900,000 grant and $3.5 million in loans to replace aging portions of its sewers.

Tyler County will receive a $675,000 grant and $1.01 million in loans for its water and waste disposal system.

Bluewell’s public service district will receive a $487,000 grant and $480,000 in loans to provide 106 households in Mercer County with a reliable water source.

Funding for the restoration of Wheeling’s Fort Henry was also included in the infrastructure package. A loan of $5.2 million will go toward renovations to the building’s first, third, and fourth floors.

“Investing in our rural communities spurs economic growth and creates good-paying jobs, and I am pleased USDA is investing in these six sites,” Sen. Joe Manchin said in a joint press release with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for funding to ensure our rural communities across the Mountain State have the resources they need to thrive.”

Both senators are on the appropriations panel, which steers federal money to the states.

Documents from the USDA say the improvements will benefit 18,433 West Virginians across each project in totality.

USDA Announces Watershed Projects In W.Va.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced more than $14 million in funding for eight projects in West Virginia.

The projects include rehabilitating dams, flood prevention and watershed restoration projects. They are funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law.

This announcement builds on $6.3 million in projects announced earlier this year, bringing the total investment to $20.4 million in 26 projects.

Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, made the announcement in White Sulphur Springs.

Part of the funding will be used to evaluate flood protection and other natural resource concerns along Howard Creek, which experienced a devastating flood in 2016 that killed eight people in town.

“We recognize that President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our infrastructure,” Bonnie said. “These projects create good-paying jobs and improve economies in rural America. USDA offers several watershed programs that help communities rebuild after natural disasters and build resilience”

Today’s infrastructure announcement includes funding through two programs: the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program provides technical and financial assistance for new watershed infrastructure, and the Watershed Rehabilitation Program (REHAB) upgrades existing Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) dams.

Individual projects listed below:

Big Ditch Run Site, Webster County – Funding will be used for the planning phase of dam rehabilitation to address current design safety and performance deficiencies.
New Creek 1, Mineral County – Funding will be used to bring New Creek Site 1 into compliance with current dam design safety and engineering criteria and performance standards while continuing to provide flood protection.
Saltlick Creek 4, Braxton County – Funding will be used for the planning phase for rehabilitation of the structures that serve developments downstream and bring the dams to design safety criteria and performance standards.
Saltlick Creek 6, Braxton County – Funding will be used for the planning phase for rehabilitation of the structures that serve developments downstream and bring the dams to design safety criteria and performance standards.
Saltlick Creek 7, Braxton County – Funding will be used for the planning phase for rehabilitation of the structures that serve developments downstream and bring the dams to design safety criteria and performance standards.
Saltlick Creek 8, Braxton County – Funding will be used for the planning phase for rehabilitation of the structures that serve developments downstream and bring the dams to design safety criteria and performance standards.
Saltlick Creek 9, Braxton County – Funding will be used for the planning phase for rehabilitation of the structures that serve developments downstream and bring the dams to design safety criteria and performance standards.
Elk Creek Watershed Flood Control, Harrison County – Funding will be used to determine the feasibility of flood control protection through dams, channels, or other measures.
Little Whitestick Creek, Greenbrier County – Funding will be used to examine current hydrology and hydraulics of the project area and recommend additional measures that can be taken to reduce flooding in the vicinity.
Howard Creek Watershed, Greenbrier County – Funding will be used to look at the potential of additional flood protection, water supply and other watershed resource concerns.
Bluewell PSD Dam Removals, Mercer County – Funding will be used to decommission existing structures and look for alternate water supplies.
Elkhorn Creek Watershed, McDowell County – Funding will be used for construction to mitigate future flooding and the acquisition of floodplain easements.

West Virginia Gets OK For Summer Food Benefits For Students

West Virginia families with eligible school-age children will receive funding from the federal government for groceries this summer.

One-time benefits of $375 are expected to be issued for each eligible child by mid-July, the state Department of Education said in a news release. The benefits will be loaded onto existing pandemic electronic benefits transfer cards that were issued during the 2020-21 school year.

School-age children are eligible if they were enrolled in a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and qualified for free or reduced-price school meals. Children under age 6 are eligible if they live in a household that receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The state expects to issue $83.4 million to more than 222,000 schoolchildren and $13.3 million to 35,000 kids enrolled in SNAP this summer.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.