Monte Vista gets USDA Rural Development grant help to overhaul wastewater facility
THE city of Monte Vista will overhaul its wastewater with a grant of nearly $10 million through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and then will finance another $20 million to complete the project.
“The city has been working on this project for a couple of years. We are thankful that USDA Rural Development was able to secure almost $10 million in grant funding for this project and then the city will finance the remaining $20 million through them,” said Monte Vista City Manager Gigi Dennis. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs will also provide a $538,000 grant to help the city begin a design process for the wastewater treatment plant.
“We are looking forward to celebrating the new facility in about 5 years with the citizens of Monte Vista,” Dennis said.
Armando Valdez, USDA Rural Development Colorado state director, said the funding allows the city of Monte Vista to overhaul its current system and provide a “cleaner, more modern wastewater system.”
Monte Vista owns and operates two lagoon wastewater treatment plants: the Henderson Wastewater Treatment Plant (HWWTP), and the Veterans Wastewater Treatment Plant (VWWTP). The project will overhaul the current system, consolidating all of the city’s municipal flows to the Henderson plant, converting to an activating sludge plant and improving the overall collection system, Valdez said.
“Investments in water by our rural communities will always be a valuable use of our resources. As we celebrate Earth Week, we also acknowledge water as one of the most precious resources of our planet. As good stewards of these resources, we are, together, providing critical infrastructure and resource utilization for our rural communities,” said Valdez. “This assistance can help mitigate health risks and increase access to safe, reliable drinking water and sanitary waste disposal services.”
The project is being funded through USDA Rural Development’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program which provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.
Monte Vista raised its sewer base rate in July and will increase it each of the next two years to cover the $20 million debt funding, which is being financed with a 2.25 percent loan rate through the USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program.
