USDA awards $7.5 Million loan to McCook for wastewater treatment

LINCOLN, Neb. – The City of McCook will receive a nearly $7.5 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance its wastewater treatment facility, Acting USDA Rural Development State Director for Nebraska Joan Scheel has announced.

City Manager Nate Schneider reacted saying, “We are excited to move forward with McCook’s wastewater treatment plant project,” adding, “ to qualify for USDA loan assistance, the remaining project funding must come from a private source, which in McCook’s case is Northland Securities. The Northland loan will be $7 million.”

Built in 1950, the McCook treatment facility can no longer meet upcoming state standards for ammonia levels and is at risk of overflows and backups. The investment will modernize the facility and extend the collection system by approximately one mile, ensuring reliable wastewater treatment for the community.

Schneider explained, “To the best of my knowledge, McCook is the last town in Nebraska to operate a rotating biological contractor (RBC) wastewater treatment plant. The RBC discs have been continuously rotating since 1978, and they are nearing the end of their useful lives. As we lose discs due to their weight, the need to complete McCook’s new wastewater treatment plant project becomes more pronounced.”

The McCook project is part of USDA Rural Development’s $9.7 million investment in Nebraska’s rural and Tribal communities to strengthen water and waste infrastructure. These investments are part of a larger USDA initiative to expand access to safe drinking water, wastewater disposal, and stormwater drainage in rural communities nationwide. USDA Rural Development is financing over $642 million in projects across 41 states to improve quality of life in rural areas.

Director Scheel commented, “We know that to build strong communities, we must be devoted to the health and safety of their people,” Scheel said. “The investments announced today will create urgently needed infrastructure improvements to meet the needs of Nebraskans.”

Other Nebraska Projects funded by the program include Barneston, with a $570,000 loan to upgrade the village’s wastewater system, Swanton, for a combined $714,000 loan and grant to replace a noncompliant well and for the Santee Sioux Nation, a $1 million grant to improve the Tribe’s solid waste facility.

Schneider concluded, “The USDA loan is nice because it provides favorable terms that will hopefully assist with keeping rate adjustments as low as possible. It is our hope that construction begins in the next couple of years.”