(Undated) -- The U-S Department of Agriculture is investing over $40 (M) million dollars in loans and grants to several water and electric projects in rural Iowa. The projects impact the following counties: Black Hawk, Calhoun, Greene, Muscatine, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac, Shelby & Webster counties.

Today’s news is part of a larger national announcement made by USDA Secretary Vilsack. Read the full announcement here.

-Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association received a $6,000,000 loan through Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program to help build and improve 58 miles of line and connect many households to modern service. This project includes $322,128 for smart grid technologies. The co-op is headquartered in Rockwell City and serves 1,694 consumers over 795 miles of line in five counties in west central Iowa—Calhoun, Greene, Pocahontas, Sac, and Webster counties.

-University of Northern Iowa in Black Hawk County received a $83,000 grant through the Solid Waste Management Grants program to help provide compost operations and conduct training. This project will identify rural communities to assist and will then provide on-site training in composting food waste, incorporating best practices, using the finished products, and protecting water resources from pollutants and contaminants. Once completed, this project in Black Hawk County will help reduce water pollution and harmful methane emissions from food waste in landfills.

- City of Defiance received a $1,596,000 loan through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants to help upgrade its wastewater treatment facilities. This project will establish a three-cell controlled discharge lagoon system, replace aged components, and add a diffuser to the wastewater effluent outfall. The project will alleviate an imminent sanitary hazard by constructing facilities to comply with water quality requirements for ammonia and chloride levels. Once completed, this project will promote the health of 245 residents of this rural Shelby County community.

-City of Nichols received a $1,200,000 loan through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program to help improve its waste water treatment facility and collection system. This project will repair manholes, line the collection system, improve the lift station, rehabilitate the lagoon, and replace the force main. This project will help reduce sewer backups and excessive infiltration to meet water treatment quality standards. Once completed, the project will promote the health and safety of 340 residents of this rural Muscatine County community..

- City of Emmetsburg received a $27,000,000 loan and a $3,500,000 grant through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program to help renovate its wastewater treatment facility which was built in the 1970s. This project will replace the rotating biological contactor treatment with an activated sludge treatment utilizing the University of Capetown concept process. The new method will be resilient to slug loading and peak weather events and will provide ease of operations. This project will replace other aging infrastructure and obsolete equipment. The project will help the city comply with modern sanitation regulations and will promote the health and safety of residents of this rural Palo Alto community.