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13 Colorado water, energy projects selected for funding

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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 water infrastructure and the electrical grid more resilient to extreme weather and create thousands of good-paying jobs in the process. 

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: 

Recipient

Grant Awarded

Loan Awarded

Description

Location

San Miguel Power Association

 

N/A

$29,784,000

Build and improve power lines, invest in smart grid technologies

San Miguel County

Hunter Solar

N/A

$38,285,000

Provide long term financing of a 75 MW solar farm 

Arapahoe County

Meadow Mountain Water Supply Company

 

$1,974,000

 

$441,000

Repair failing water distribution system 

Allenspark, CO

Town of Silverton

$2,764,000

$2,165,000

Improve wastewater treatment facilities 

Town of Silverton

Sedalia Water and Sanitation District

$5,045,000

$561,000

Help replace an aging water distribution system and connect the system to Castle Rock’s water system 

Douglas County

Town of Holly

$6,189,000

$4,740,000

Construct a new well and treatment plant and improve system efficiency 

Town of Holly

Town of Walsh

$4,404,000

$1,550,000

Upgrade the water treatment system 

Town of Walsh

Montezuma Water Company

N/A

$15,300,000

Modernize the water system to increase capacity,  install new water pumps

Montezuma County

Town of Del Norte

$11,018,000

$12,010,000

Replace undersized and failing water piping and add fire hydrants to extend firefighting coverage 

Town of Del Norte

Town of Bethune

$2,662,000

$1,523,000

Decommission existing treatment plant and construct a new 3-pond evaporation system

Town of Bethune

Marble Water Company

$455,000

$1,158,000

Install new distribution lines, fire hydrants, and water pumps

Town of Marble

City of Rocky Ford

$7,935,000

$20,351,000

Replace problematic sections of the existing water system 

City of Rocky Ford