Cochran: Baldwyn to Receive $8.8 Million for Wastewater Infrastructure Upgrade

Press Release

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today announced that the City of Baldwyn will receive $8.8 million in federal funding to restore and upgrade its wastewater system.

The $3.19 million grant and a $5.6 million loan to the Lee and Prentiss County community is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Water & Environmental Programs (WEP).

"This infrastructure investment can help improve quality of life and economic development opportunities for people in the Baldwyn area. I'm pleased that the USDA recognizes the value of this funding in northeast Mississippi and throughout the state," said Cochran.

WEP grant and loan awards are designed to assist communities of 10,000 or fewer residents address infrastructure needs by a providing technical assistance and financing to develop or improve drinking water and waste disposal systems.

Earlier this year, the USDA announced $4.17 million in additional Rural Development grants and loans to Mississippi communities, including a $2 million loan to benefit rebuilding of the Winston County Medical Center in Louisville.

Cochran is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and serves on the subcommittee with funding jurisdiction over the USDA and Rural Development. He is also the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which is tasked with setting USDA policy.

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