New Jersey water treatment plant funded by USDA loan

10/19/2011

The USDA's rural water project, announced earlier this month by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, aims to provide 26 states with funds to upgrade their water systems. It will help build "thousands" of new connections to water and wastewater facilities, increase efficiency of water use and improve water quality.

Shore News Today reports that Egg Harbor City was the only New Jersey location to receive a rural USDA loan. The city was rewarded with a loan for $3,974,000, and a grant for just over $3 million to upgrade its water treatment plant.

The state's old plant is more than 100 years old. Plans have been in place to construct a new facility one block north of the current plant for the past two years.

"When government doesn't have a lot of money, to be putting money into things people don't see every day is a difficult situation," New York Congressman Frank LoBiondo told the news source. "People aren't thinking so much when they're flushing the toilet."

The new plant will process around 200 gallons more water per minute than the old one.

In total, the USDA appropriated $66.7 million in loans and $48.9 million in grants for its water systems project.