Ladd Environmental leading Section sewer project

"If you don't have water, wastewater or water to drink, you're not going to have economic development," Aderholt said.

Davis said his organization was glad to be leading the efforts in this vital project.

"It touches a lot of different people in a lot of different ways, and we are proud to be a part of being able to provide the long-term financing," Davis said.

USDA Rural Development will provide a $2,420,000 low-interest loan and a $1,693,000 grant to the Water Works Board of the Town of Section to finance a major expansion and upgrade to Section's old sewer system, which currently serves a limited area around the school.

This upgrade will convert waste disposal from a lagoon system to a wastewater treatment plant, helping to eliminate environmental issues and allow for economic growth, the release said.

Ladd Environmental of Fort Payne was the engineer for the project and will oversee the construction process.

“It was a pretty good project for us,” Ladd Environmental project engineer Adam Lea said. “We did the design and will manage the construction of the facility. We’ll have someone on-site everyday for inspections.

“We’ll start work in about a month and the project will take about a year to complete.”

Lea said the wastewater treatment facility was designed to treat 30,000 gallon per day and the project would affect 83 customers.

According to Davis, paying off the loan will stem from the anticipated economic growth of the community due to the upgrade.

The town of Langston will also see an upgrade to its water system in the form of a new water tank, just off County Road 67, that will provide a more reliable supply of water to residents and businesses in the town.

In the past, if repairs were necessary to the main water line serving Langston, the area experienced water outages, the release said.

The Water Works Board received a $919,000 loan from USDA Rural Development in 2011 to construct the new tank and additional water lines to serve Langston and nearby areas in Jackson County.

Monday's ceremony allowed everyone who was involved to come together to recognize their collective hard work and dedication to the project. Both congressmen commented on how finalizing the project was a team effort.

"This is truly a good example of where the federal, state and local governments can come together to truly make something happen," Aderholt said.

Brooks also noted the efforts of everyone involved for getting this project some much-needed attention.

"Ultimately, it comes down to local communities competing against each other across the United States for them to justify the projects that they want federal government assistance with," he said.

Despite the competition, local officials worked hard to raise the issue to the top of the heap. Steve Durham, chairman of the Water Works Board, also praised everyone in attendance for their hard work in securing the funding for this project.

"The certificate says 'Certificate of Partnership.'" Durham said of the award that was presented during Monday's ceremony. "That's what it's all about. We've got a lot of partners in this room."

Davis couldn't stress enough how much this collective effort meant to both Section and Langston.

"USDA Rural Development continues to invest in rural America and the rural communities that millions call home," Davis said. "It is vital that Alabama communities and towns have updated, efficient infrastructure with the capacity to serve current needs within a town, and to also allow for future growth and business development."

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