Senator Marshall Fights to Deliver Water Infrastructure Funding for Kansas Communities

Manhattan - On Friday,U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined USDA Rural Development State Director Gimmie Jo Jansonius, Riley County Commissioner Kathryn Focke, and local officials at Keats Park Community Center to mark the start of the Riley County Wastewater System Improvement Project - an $11 million federal investment in the county's water infrastructure.

Riley County was one of seven communities awarded a share of $11 million in grants and loans through the USDA Rural Development Water and Wastewater Disposal Loan and Grant Program. The Riley County award, a $492,000 grant and $618,000 loan, will fund the upgrade and installation of approximately 12,000 linear feet of collection lines, 43 manhole replacements, 67 septic tank demolitions, five grinder stations, a new lift station and wet well, a backup generator, and related surface and electrical work.

"Clean water and functional wastewater systems aren't a luxury - they're a basic necessity for every Kansas family and every Kansas community," said Senator Marshall. "Riley County is getting this right, and I'm proud to have fought for the federal resources to help make it happen. This is exactly what good government looks like: dollars going directly to the communities that need them."

Across Kansas, modernizing drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure is a critical need. Too many communities rely on aging systems that strain local budgets and jeopardize public health. Senator Marshall has consistently prioritized federal water infrastructure funding through the annual appropriations process, advocating for the programs that help Kansas counties and municipalities modernize their water systems and safeguard the well-being of residents.

As part of the annual federal appropriations process, Senator Marshall has submitted the following funding requests to ensure Kansas communities have access to clean water:

• Robust funding for EPA's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
• Robust funding for EPA's Clean Water State Revolving Fund
• $490,000,000 for USDA's Rural Water and Wastewater Disposal Loan and Grant Program, with a request that non-earmark funding be increased
• $200,000,000 in funding for USDA's Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Operations Program
• $40,000,000 for USDA's Community Facilities Program, with a request that non-earmark funding be increased
• $5,000,000 for USDA's Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program
• Robust funding for USDA's Watershed Rehabilitation Program
• Robust funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works Activities
• Robust funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Inland Waterways Trust Fund
• Robust funding for the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART Grant Program
• He also led a letter calling for robust funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The letter can be found here.

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