JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MAY 13, 2020 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded a total of $363,700 in financial assistance to the city of Potosi to connect wastewater flow from the Plaza Mobile Home Park to Potosi’s wastewater treatment system. Provided through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Regionalization Incentive Grant program, this grant will fund 100% of the eligible construction costs for the project and is expected to be completed by April 2022.
The department’s Regionalization Incentive Grant is a competitive grant program that offers funding to municipalities as an incentive to construct connections for small, struggling facilities. The entities responsible for these small facilities often lack the financial and technical resources to upgrade their wastewater treatment facilities to meet more stringent limits and operate their facilities appropriately. These facilities typically serve such a small number of connections that the cost to comply with permit conditions is a significant financial challenge for the users.
"Infrastructure such as water and wastewater systems is essential to a community’s health and economic vitality, but it’s often difficult for small communities to maintain and improve their treatment systems." said Carol Comer, director of the Department of Natural Resources. "This grant will develop infrastructure that helps reduce pollutants entering Missouri’s environment while helping the local economy."
"This grant is phenomenal," said Potosi Mayor T.R. Dudley. "It not only affords us the opportunity to extend utilities outside our corporate city limits, it also addresses a problematic sewage lagoon situation, increases revenue and opens up an entire new area for development. Additionally, it provides much needed sewage for a treatment plant currently funded by the county industrial development authority, which will soon be an additional treatment plant owned by the city.
The department’s Financial Assistance Center is committed to working with communities to assist with water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects. This project will be funded wholly with monies received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on wastewater and drinking water funding opportunities, visit the department's financial assistance center at https://dnr.mo.gov/water/business-industry-other-entities/financial-opportunities/financial-assistance-center.