ILLINOIS COMMUNITIES EARN GRANTS FOR WATER, SEWER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS

CAIRO -- Cairo's sewer system will be improved and Thebes will receive new water treatment pumps in Alexander County, water lines will be extended into Alto Pass in Union County, and Carbondale's old water reservoir will be improved with grants that were recently announced by Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar.

Edgar announced that 30 communities in Southern Illinois will receive a combined total of more than $4 million in Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) grants to help fund improvements to local sewer and water systems, and to plan for future public facilities improvements.

"We can not help every community," said Edgar. "But, with these grants, we can insure that dozens of communities throughout the state will have additional financial resources to make necessary improvements to overloaded or unsafe water and sewer systems."

CDAP grants, funded with federal block grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are awarded by the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) to local communities with populations of 50,000 or less that are not located within one of the large urban counties that receive funds directly from HUD.

The maximum grant available is $400,000. At least 51 percent of the project's beneficiaries must be people with low or moderate incomes.

The cities of Cairo and Carbondale, and Union County received three of the larger grants.

Cairo will receive $340,000 for improvements to its sewer system;. Carbondale will receive $380,000 for improvements to its reservoir dam and spillway, which was constructed in 1926 and Alto Pass will receive $300,000 to extend water lines into the Alto Pass area, located north of Anna-Jonesboro, off Route 127.

Thebes will receive $13,725 for replacement of water treatment pumps. Alexander County will also receive a $6,000 planning grant to make improvements that will bring the county into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Pulaski, Union and Massac counties will also receive ADA compliance planning grants.

Mounds, in Pulaski County, will receive a $25,000 grant to asses its water problems and Brookport, in Massac County, will receive a $12,000 grant to study and plan a water system.

"A lot of small communities in Illinois have been mandated to make water and sewer improvements," said David D. Phelps, state representative in the 118th District. "These grants will provide funds to help pay for these improvements."

State Sen. Jim Rea agreed.

"The improvements are essential to retaining many jobs and luring new employers to Southern Illinois," said Rea, of the 59th District. "The awarding of these grants is a terrific way for many cities to kick off the new year. A lot of local officials have worked hard to obtain this funding."