Then U.S. Department of Agriculture approved $75 million in funding to ensure residents of Greenbrier County, W.V., have clean drinking water for years to come.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., promoted two initiatives that will modernize the city's deteriorating water system, according to an Aug. 31 news release. Lewisburg received $52.7 million in loans and grants for water treatment facility upgrades, and the Greenbrier County Public Service District No. 2 received $22 million in loans and grants for replacing aging infrastructure and equipment for its wastewater collection and treatment system.
"The Biden-Harris administration is committed to providing a healthy community and environment to make sure people, children and families have clean water and safe water systems that prevent pollution and runoff,” Vilsack said in the release. “Thanks to President Biden, Vice President Harris and to the tireless efforts of leaders like Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., USDA is making investments in rural communities where they are needed most."
The announcement was made at a groundbreaking for an improved water treatment plant, and they announced funding to update a wastewater system, the release reported.
"With today’s announcement and historic investments like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, we will advance our work to ensure people in West Virginia and throughout the country can look forward to healthy, vibrant futures for their families and the communities they call home,” Vilsack said in the release.
Vilsack also thanked President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Manchin and other leaders for "making investments in rural communities where they are needed most," according to the release.
