WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program has approved a $3,300,000 loan and a $926,500 grant for Mahoning County. The county will convert the New Middletown wastewater treatment facility into a pump station, allowing wastewater to be pumped to the planned pumping station at Five Points. This will ensure that the facilities meet current Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards and improve service for the 1,621 residents in the area.
“Ohio’s rural communities and small towns face a heavy burden when financing infrastructure projects,” Brown said. “These federal resources will ensure New Middletown residents have a modern sewer system that provides clean drinking water and encourages investment in the region.”
Brown is working to help protect Ohioans’ drinking water. In September, as part of the Water Resources Development Act, the Senate passed provisions of his Clean Water Affordability Act – a bill to help communities make renovations to outdated sewer systems, while improving water quality and keeping rates affordable for residents and small business.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 economic development in rural communities.
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