Delta lands grant to study sewer improvements

The Cape Girardeau County town of Delta will receive a $6,000 grant to study options for upgrading sewer systems, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill announced Thursday.

The grant, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will pay the costs for a preliminary engineering report to determine the best plan for the sewer improvements. Delta needs to upgrade the sewer system to meet new regulations regarding discharge quality.

The current sewer system was installed in 1976. The water and sewer system have been periodically upgraded, but not always at a pace city officials wanted. Federal funds needed to expand the water system and add a well and pump were denied the city in 1985 and a 1990 application for federal money was rejected.

Town officials had hoped to obtain a sewer improvement grant in 2007, but politics stalled the application process.

The grant is part of the USDA's Rural Development program.