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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01) and John Boozman (AR-03) today announced $4.3 million in funds for the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority. The funds were appropriated through the recently passed 2008 Farm Bill.
Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority will receive a $3.2 million grant and a $1.1 million loan to expand its water supply.
“I’m pleased that Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority has received this critical funding, which will help officials maintain a safe, clean water supply for North Central Arkansas,” said Lincoln, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which wrote the 2008 Farm Bill. “The Farm Bill makes a significant investment in rural development priorities, and I’m proud to have worked to help Arkansans living in rural areas maintain the quality of life they deserve.”
“These funds are critical in order to ensure a reliable, clean supply of water to area homes and businesses,” Pryor. "I’m pleased to see federal resources reinvested in local communities this way.”
“Rural communities are the backbone of America and we must make sure they have the infrastructure to support economic growth and development,” said Berry. “This grant is one of many steps we are taking to keep our rural communities strong and successful. I applaud local officials for working to ensure the prosperity of their community.”
“This funding will provide more than 20,000 people a reliable and dependable supply of water,” Boozman said. “Water is a basic need and this funding will improve the quality of life for residents of the Northwest corner of the Third District for years to come.”
The funding was approved by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program, which administers water and wastewater loans and grants to improve the quality of life and promote economic development in rural America. This project will provide an improved water supply to Newton, Searcy and a portion of Marion Counties.
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