WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program has awarded $3,410,000 in grants and loans to the towns of Howland and Milford for water and waste disposal projects.
“These USDA Rural Development funds will aid essential improvements in water distribution and waste disposal in the towns of Howland and Milford,” Senators Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. “It is crucial that Mainers have reliable access to these amenities, so we are pleased to see federal support for such necessary projects.”
The funding is distributed as follows:
• $980,000 grant and $830,000 loan to Howland to finance the replacement of deteriorated water distribution lines on several streets. The water system serves a population 1,210.
• $488,000 grant and $1,112,000 loan to Milford to replace three aging pump stations and sewer lines on Main Street in Milford and to install a sewer line extension to 18 residences on Sandy Point Road. The project will reduce infiltration, overflow, and combined sewer outflow which currently discharges into the Stillwater and Penobscot Rivers, thereby halting a health and safety hazard (as identified by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection) for affected residents of Sandy Point Road.
The USDA Rural Development program provides financial loans and grants to help improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The funds are used for community programs, which seek to construct or improve community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services.