Cleaner Water
Rural Water Projects
The Bureau of Reclamation continues to develop rural water projects in areas of the West where groundwater
is of insufficient quantity and poor quality. Many of these projects are taking place on Indian Reservations
in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. USDA's water and wastewater loan and grant program is used to
develop water systems, including storm drainage and solid waste disposal facilities, in rural areas with 10,000
or fewer residents. Over the last three years, the Rural Utilities Service provided over $4.8 billion in
assistance for this purpose, funding over 3,897 community infrastructure projects and benefiting approximately
1.3 million rural residents per year.