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Congressman Feenstra Hopes To See Funding For Rural Communities’ Wastewater Systems Included In Infrastructure Bill’s Final Version

Fourth District Congressman, Randy Feenstra, visited several communities in the listening area last week while on his inaugural 39-county tour, and one of those stops included a visit to the wastewater facility in Sac City. Most of the wastewater infrastructure in the region was installed decades ago, and many of the area’s towns have built, are currently building or are planning to build new treatment plants due to the increasingly stringent government regulations on these facilities. These projects cost millions of dollars to complete and are frequently several times larger than a community’s annual budget. Feenstra, who is a former city administrator, says there are some assistance programs available

Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on President Biden’s proposed infrastructure bill are ongoing. Members of the GOP balked at Biden’s initial plan due to the $2.3 trillion price tag and its broad definition of what is considered infrastructure. The two sides have cut the bill down to around $1 trillion, and talks are expected to resume Monday. Feensta says he would like to see a more-targeted bill that would include funding for projects like these.

The City of Lake View’s new wastewater lagoon became operational in spring of 2020, and construction is currently underway at the site of Glidden new treatment facility. City officials in Wall Lake and Lake City are currently exploring their options for improvements to their existing systems. These are a few examples of the many communities throughout the state tasked with replacing their aging wastewater plants.

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