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Coffee County is amongst areas that can file grants to help rural areas repair damage caused to water infrastructure caused by the storms and arctic cold temperatures late last year.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Tennessee State Director Arlisa Armstrong has announced the availability of grants to help rural and Tribal communities repair water infrastructure damaged by presidentially declared disasters severe winter storms in calendar year 2022. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient. 

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA stand ready to help people rebuild their lives and their communities,” Armstrong said. “The assistance I’m announcing today will help make sure rural communities across this state who were impacted by natural disasters last year have the resources they need to repair or rebuild their water infrastructure.  This funding is critical because we know that rural America is home to millions of people who make up America’s spirit and character.”

USDA is making over $247 million in grants available through supplemental disaster funding under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Funds will remain available until expended. 

Eligible applicants include rurally located public bodies, and nonprofit organizations.

Funds may be used to repair damaged water infrastructure and develop resiliency to reduce long-term risks from future disasters.

Funds may be used in the following presidentially declared disaster areas counties:

Coffee, Cocke, Greene, Maury, Washington, Haywood, Perry, Weakley, Crockett, Henderson, Davidson, Knox, Shelby, Putnam, Fayette, Lauderdale and Tipton counties.

Applications must be submitted through the RD APPLY application system at rdapply.usda.gov. Funds will be available until exhausted.

For more information on how to apply, contact Christopher Hampton (Christopher.Hampton@usda.gov) or Allen Hawk (Allen.Hawk@usda.gov) or visit www.rd.usda.gov/tn.