WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced $3 million in federal loans and nearly $3 million in federal grants to support projects in Erie County aimed at improving water quality in Sandusky Bay. The Erie County Commissioners will use the funding to construct a wastewater collection system serving the Village of Bay View and the Bay Bridge area. The Commissioners also plan to replace the waste treatment systems that discharge into the Sandusky Bay, 96 percent of which are failing and thereby creating pollution.

“Ohio’s rural communities and small towns face a heavy burden when financing infrastructure projects,” Brown said. “This improvement project will provide residents and businesses with an improved water system that will benefit Lake Erie and encourage investment in Erie County.”

The funds were awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of an Earth Day initiative to improve water infrastructure in rural communities. USDA’s Water and Environmental program provided loan and grant funding for the program, which was supplemented by grant funding from the 2014 Farm Bill.

Brown is working to help communities around Ohio struggling to afford costly but necessary renovations to sewer systems. Last Congress, he introduced the Clean Water Affordability Act to help communities make renovations to outdated sewer systems, while improving water quality and keeping rates affordable for residents and small business.

Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. In 2014, he was part of the Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee that successfully negotiated a five-year farm bill that had been stalled for more than three years. Brown supported a strong Rural Development title in the 2014 Farm Bill to encourage the economic development in rural communities.

 

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