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Hickenlooper, Bennet Welcome $170 Million in Funding for Access to Clean Water, Reliable Energy

Oct 3, 2024

13 Colorado projects in rural and tribal communities selected, investments will create thousands of jobs 

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet celebrated the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) award of over $170 million to 13 Colorado projects in rural and Tribal communities to expand access to safe drinking water and reliable energy. The funding is part of a $1.3 billion nationwide investment from USDA to make our water infrastructure and our electrical grid more resilient to extreme weather and create thousands of good-paying jobs in the process.

“Where you live shouldn’t determine if you have clean water to drink or reliable electricity to keep the lights on,” said Hickenlooper. “From Rocky Ford to Silverton, these investments will create thousands of good-paying jobs while expanding access to safe drinking water and reliable energy. ”  

“Everyone deserves access to clean and safe water, no matter where they live. However, far too many rural communities in Colorado face the challenges of aging or unsafe water infrastructure. I’m glad towns from Holly to Del Norte will receive this federal support to help them continue delivering reliable, clean water to Coloradans across the state,” said Bennet.

The federal investments come from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants Program and the Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program. The funding is divided between over $127 million in grant funding and over $42 million in federal loans to the 13 Colorado projects.

A full list of selected projects is below:

RecipientGrant AwardedLoan AwardedDescriptionLocation
San Miguel Power Association N/A$29,784,000Build and improve power lines, invest in smart grid technologiesSan Miguel County
Hunter SolarN/A $38,285,000Provide long term financing of a 75 MW solar farmArapahoe County
Meadow Mountain Water Supply Company  $1,974,000   $441,000Repair failing water distribution systemAllenspark, CO
Town of Silverton$2,764,000 $2,165,000Improve wastewater treatment facilitiesTown of Silverton
Sedalia Water and Sanitation District$5,045,000$561,000Help replace an aging water distribution system and connect the system to Castle Rock’s water systemDouglas County
Town of Holly$6,189,000$4,740,000Construct a new well and treatment plant and improve system efficiencyTown of Holly
Town of Walsh$4,404,000$1,550,000Upgrade the water treatment systemTown of Walsh
Montezuma Water CompanyN/A$15,300,000Modernize the water system to increase capacity,  install new water pumpsMontezuma County
Town of Del Norte$11,018,000$12,010,000Replace undersized and failing water piping and add fire hydrants to extend firefighting coverageTown of Del Norte
Town of Bethune$2,662,000$1,523,000Decommission existing treatment plant and construct a new 3-pond evaporation systemTown of Bethune
Marble Water Company$455,000 $1,158,000Install new distribution lines, fire hydrants, and water pumpsTown of Marble
City of Rocky Ford$7,935,000$20,351,000Replace problematic sections of the existing water systemCity of Rocky Ford

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