North Idaho towns land DEQ money

BOISE — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality on Monday announced the award of nearly $1.7 million to 26 drinking water and wastewater systems to help the facilities evaluate and determine upgrades as part of Gov. Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” plan.

“Families, farmers, ranchers and all Idaho residents rely on clean, efficient water and wastewater systems. These systems are not only a crucial part of our way of life, but our economy as well,” Little said.

North Idaho recipients included:

• Athol, Plummer and Smelterville were each awarded $40,000 to prepare planning studies and environmental reviews to evaluate wastewater systems and identify improvements. The total eligible project cost for each city is $80,000. The remaining $40,000 for Athol will be funded by a USDA-Rural Development Search Grant, while the remaining $40,000 for Plummer and Smelterville will be paid by the cities.
• Central Shoshone County Water and Sewer District in Shoshone County was awarded $132,500 to prepare a drinking water planning study to evaluate its system and identify improvements. The total eligible project cost is $265,000, and the remaining $132,500 will be funded by the district.