US agency offers $307 million for rural water projects

OHKAY OWINGEH PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be issuing $307 million in grants and low-interest loans to modernize rural water infrastructure across 34 states and the territory of Puerto Rico.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement Wednesday before touring a wastewater treatment plant at an Indigenous community in northern New Mexico.

The Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo north of Santa Fe will receive a $610,000 loan and a $1.6 million grant to improve the plant.

The announcement comes as President Joe Biden and his administration tour the country to gain support for a $973 billion spending plan for roads, bridges, public transit and other public works.