Tester Secures Over $2 Million for Rural Montana Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

Senator Secures Funds to Update Critical Infrastructure, Create Jobs in Rural Communities

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured over $2 million to update critical rural water infrastructure in seven Montana communities.

Tester secured these funds through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Resources Development Act Section 595 Program. These funds are available to local governments to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities, update water supply infrastructure, provide environmental restoration, and improve surface water resource protection and development.

“Clean, reliable water is critical to a healthy economy,” Tester said. “These resources will help Montana communities make essential infrastructure upgrades, support good-paying jobs, and increase access to clean drinking water and wastewater. I know firsthand how important these resources are to rural communities, and I will continue to fight to ensure every Montanan has reliable access to clean water.”

Tester announced that the following Montana communities will receive Section 595 Program funding in 2017:

• Butte – $200,000
• Conrad – $200,000
• Dutton – $300,000
• Froid – $300,000
• Harlowton – $300,000
• Seeley Lake – $600,000
• South Winds (Great Falls) – $600,000

Tester is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and has strongly pushed to fund the Section 595 Program. Tester fought to include $10 million for Section 595 Program Grants across the country in the 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill.

Since 2015, Tester has secured more than $8 million for Montana communities through the Section 595 Program.

Each 595 Program Grant requires a 25 percent funding match from the local government.