Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager announced Thursday the signing of an agreement that will make it easier to fund water quality improvement projects in rural Alaska villages. Tonsager says he expects the agreement to streamline efforts to provide clean water and improved sanitation services to the villages.
Tonsager said he's seen first-hand the challenges facing residents of rural villages. He added the agreement is intended to quickly and effectively fund the village water quality projects that are ready to go.
This week, Alaska Rural Development State Director Jim Nordlund signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the Alaska Native Health Consortium that will streamline the current Rural Alaska Village Grant Program.
The program provides funding for planning, design and construction of water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities in Alaska.
Download Audio (MP3)