State Funding Enables WCSA to Begin Rattle Creek Water Line Extension Project
The Washington County Service Authority was recently awarded a $175,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) by the commonwealth of Virginia. The grant was one of three 2018 CDBG Construction Ready Water and Sewer Fund Awards, along with 12 2018 CDBG Competitive Awards, announced by Gov. Ralph Northam in September.
The funding will be used for WCSA’s Rattle Creek Water Line Extension Project, which will provide water service for 14 residences that currently rely on wells or springs for their drinking water. The project is expected to begin by early winter and be completed by the spring of 2019.
“We are excited to receive this grant from the commonwealth and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development for the Rattle Creek project,” says Robbie Cornett, general manager for WCSA. “It is our goal to provide exceptional water and wastewater service at a reasonable cost to our existing customers, as well as expand our water distribution and wastewater collection systems to better serve the needs of the residents in our community. These funds will enable WCSA to complete the necessary needed improvements that will provide our Rattle Creek neighbors with access to a reliable source of clean drinking water.”
More than $10.9 million in funding has been provided in this year’s CDBG awards to 14 localities throughout the commonwealth for 15 housing rehabilitation, downtown revitalization, and water and sewer projects. Established in 1982, CDBG is a federally funded program administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
Virginia annually receives an average of approximately $18.5 million in grant funds to be distributed to eligible units of local government for planning and implementing projects. These projects must focus on critical community development needs, including housing, infrastructure and economic development. The grants are a key resource in helping communities fund economic and community development projects that address their local needs and help improve the Virginia economy.
The CDBG Construction-Ready Water and Sewer Fund provides assistance to projects that seek to provide public water or sewer service to communities made up of at least 60 percent low- to moderate-income households. Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis from Jan. 1 through the end of September.