YAKIMA, Wash.-A $4.9 million grant will help the City of Yakima extend domestic water and wastewater services to currently unserved areas of the community.
The $4,949,298 grant comes from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Drought Response Program, according to the City of Yakima.
“This funding will help the City of Yakima provide a reliable source of drinking water for hundreds of residents who currently rely on shallow private wells that are vulnerable to drought and contamination,” said U.S. Senator Patty Murray.
The grant will cover the cost of two of three phases of a project that will bring water and wastewater services to areas populated by mostly low-income, minority residents who currently rely on wells and septic systems, according to a City of Yakima press release on the funding.
Yakima has already applied for funding to cover the third phase of the project that includes areas in the northeast, northcentral, southcentral, and southern parts of the City.
A timeline for the first two phases of the project will be established once all the processes for the distribution of the grant are completed, according to Yakima’s Communications and Public Affairs Director, Randy Beehler.
“Connecting Yakima neighborhoods that currently rely on deteriorating wells to the City of Yakima’s water system will help conserve water supplies and ensure more Yakima households have safe water to drink,” said Senator Murray.
