Water infrastructure funds flow to several Mid-Missouri communities

Several smaller Mid-Missouri communities will benefit from recent state investments in water infrastructure.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources on Nov. 18 awarded more than $410 million in grant funding for local communities to make drinking water, wastewater and stormwater improvements, and identify and address lead in water service lines.

Fulton submitted an application for $316,316 in state funding to complete a $400,400 stormwater project, which was approved. The city is on the hook for $84,084 of the total project cost.

Fulton, California, Ashland, Cole County PWSD 4 and Osage County PWSDs 1 and 3 all applied for lead service line inventory funding but were rejected. Together, their asks totaled $902,687 for $1.1 million in necessary projects.

Of the 171 entities that applied for lead service line inventory funding from the state, 89 were denied and 10 were waitlisted.

Callaway County PWSD 2, Fulton, Miller County, California, Ashland, Russellville, Linn, Eldon, Moniteau County PWSD 1, Cole County PWSDs 4 and 5, and Osage County PWSDs 1, 2 and 3 all submitted applications for drinking water funding but were denied. The local requests totaled nearly $34.4 million on $38.6 million in total project costs.

More than 370 entities applied for drinking water infrastructure funding, but only 40 were approved and 17 waitlisted.

Several Mid-Missouri municipalities applied for wastewater funding but didn't receive it. The list includes Callaway County Sewer District, Fulton, Holts Summit, Jefferson City, Russellville, Eldon, Linn, California, Ashland and Miller County. Their requests totaled nearly $35.8 million on more than $40.6 million in needed wastewater projects.

Another 329 entities applied for wastewater infrastructure funding, which was given to 34 applicants. Approximately 289 applicants were denied funding.

Fulton received a grant to make stormwater improvements. Stormwater funding went to 67 of 130 applicants, while 48 were denied.

DNR Director Dru Buntin said the department received about 1,000 applications requesting more than $2.4 billion in funding to address water infrastructure needs.

Gov. Mike Parson made water infrastructure a priority in budget recommendations to the Missouri General Assembly last session. The Republican governor suggested using $411.7 million of the state's share of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars for community investments and another $71.7 million on water infrastructure improvements at state facilities and parks.

"We knew this program was critically needed for communities across our state, and that's why we included it in this year's budget," Parson said in a news release announcing the grant awards. "While we know more is still needed to upgrade our infrastructure and ensure reliable water resources for the next generations, these grants will leverage even greater local and private investments to help boost our competitiveness for economic development projects and ensure our communities in every corner of Missouri are finding success."