In an Earth Day celebration and ceremony Friday, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, and a federal U.S. Department of Agriculture administrator were on hand for an announcement of funding to replace Virginia City’s wastewater-treatment plant.
The funding came from USDA Rural Development and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to a USDA news release, and the federal agency said the project would cost $7 million.
USDA Rural Utilities Service deputy director Jessica Zufolo was there, along with various Storey County officials, for the event at the historic Fourth Ward School on South C Street in Virginia City.
Also at the event was Sara Adler, USDA Nevada state director for rural development, who said the national allocation set aside for Earth Day investments allowed for the maximum grants on the Storey County project.
“The current wastewater plant that serves the historic communities of Virginia City and Gold Hill was originally constructed in the 1970s and has been overextended and threatened by flood events,” the USDA said in a news release.
The financing will not only allow replacement of the existing plant, but will bring the system into compliance with requirements, eliminate the threat from floods and protect the watershed in the nearby Six Mile Canyon area, according to the USDA.
