Washington, D.C. –
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Amity has secured
a $4.83 million loan and $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to improve water treatment, reliability and capacity in the
Yamhill County town.
“These federal
investments will provide crucial help for Amity residents counting on safe and
reliable drinking water in their homes, schools and small businesses,” Wyden
said. “I’m glad Amity’s work to
qualify for these funds has paid dividends. And I’ll keep fighting for similar
infrastructure investments in small communities throughout our state to have a
topnotch rural quality of life.”
“Access to safe,
reliable drinking water is crucial for every single one of us,” said
Senator Merkley. “This funding to Amity
for improvements to their water infrastructure will provide immense benefits
for years to come and will ensure that everyone in Amity has access to reliable
and safe water. I will continue to work to support rural water investments like
this as a member of the Senate Appropriations committee.”
The loan of $4.83 million and grant of $1.5 million from
USDA Rural Development for Amity will be used to relocate the city’s water
intake further upstream along the South Yamhill River, install new intake, wet
well, pumps and generator platform; install new clearwell and finished water
pipeline; and to improve the reliability of the city’s drinking water source. The
funds will also help install a new section of raw water pipeline from the new
intake to connect with the raw water pipeline and also to renovate and
refurbish the water treatment facility to ensure system capacity meets
standards and produces enough water to meet current and future demand.
“Reliable access to
adequate and safe drinking water is a basic and fundamental human need.
Collaboration and prioritization on all governmental levels is imperative to
the success of meeting this need long term; especially in small, rural, and
agricultural communities,” said Amity Mayor Rachel King. “To secure this
funding, and have the ability to move ahead with these significant improvements
to Amity’s water infrastructure is a huge step forward for our city. I’m
grateful for the collective work, advocacy, and opportunities available that
have gotten us to this point in the process. These investments will not only
benefit every one of our residents, but will have a long-lasting positive
impact for generations to come.”
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