WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall and Representative Harry Teague today announced that the City of Socorro will receive more than $4.5 million in loans and grants for water system improvements.
The funding - a $3.29 million grant and a $1.23 million loan - will be made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and regular U.S. Department of Agriculture Water and Environmental Program funds. It will allow the city to make critical improvements to water quality and public sanitation services to protect public health and the environment.
"All New Mexicans should have access to safe drinking water. Unfortunately, water infrastructure projects are costly and, many times, out of reach for many of New Mexico's communities. The funding released today is an important investment in Socorro families," Bingaman said.
"Safe, clean water is a basic requirement for a healthy, prosperous community. This funding will allow the city of Socorro to update critical water infrastructure so that it will produce safe drinking water for residents for years to come," Udall said. "This project is yet another example of how the Recovery Act is working here in New Mexico and across the country to create jobs, improve our infrastructure and get our economy going again."
"This is an important investment by the USDA in the community of Socorro. This funding will allow the city to make much needed and long overdue improvements to their water system infrastructure and I want to congratulate the City and Mayor Ravi Bhasker for all the work they did to secure this grant. Not only will this project offer residents in Socorro better services, it will also create much needed jobs in the area. This is what the economic Recovery Act is supposed to be doing - investing in our country's future through critical infrastructure projects while creating local jobs in the process," Teague said.
