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Colchester, IL – Work will soon begin to provide clean, safe water to more homes in western McDonough County.
The West Prairie Water Cooperative received a $1,870,000 loan from USDA Rural Development to help pay for Phase Two of a water distribution project.
"It (the loan program) offers communities or water districts the opportunity to receive funding at reasonable rates and terms," said Trish Yeager, Rural Development Area Specialist. "It's always a great thing when we can help people get good water."
The USDA also gave the project a grant of $1,463,000. Members of the Cooperative contributed $72,000 to the project, which will allow water to be piped in from the Dallas Rural Water District.
The homes, which are in Chalmers and Lamoine Townships and portions of Bethel Township, need a new water source because the McDonough County Health Department found more than 80% of the area's wells were contaminated with E. coli bacteria or nitrates.
"According to the health department, it appears that the problem was from improperly designed septic systems and also poor well construction," Yeager said.
Yeager believes construction could soon begin and will take around nine months to complete. Once Phase Two is completed, the Cooperative will be providing water to more than 500 homes.
Phase One is already finished and is providing water to around 250 homes in Colchester and Tennessee Townships along with portions of Hire, Emmett, Lamoine and Bethel Townships.
Yeager said USDA Rural Development provided a loan of $1,381,000 for Phase 1, plus a grant of $830,000.
The West Prairie Water Cooperative is headquartered in Colchester.