The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Office has approved a $23.4 million emergency grant to help one of the poorest communities in Alabama repair its failing sewer system.

According to U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who worked with other members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, the USDA and state and local officials to secure the funding, the USDA will work with the city of Uniontown to create an outside board that will oversee the development of a new wastewater system for the city.

“Today’s grant announcement is a huge victory for Uniontown that will have a real-life impact for thousands of Alabamians living in the rural Black Belt,” Sewell said in a news release announcing the grant. “Thank you to Senators Richard Shelby and Doug Jones, Congressman Robert Aderholt, USDA State Rural Development Director Chris Beeker, and all of the state and local stakeholders who helped to make this investment possible."

Shelby issued a statement Friday thanking the USDA for approving the grant.

“Water and wastewater systems across the country are aging, overburdened, and in need of replacement,” Shelby said in a release. “Failure to invest in these water projects has devastating economic and public health consequences.

“The dire situation in Uniontown is a prime example of a number of communities across Alabama in need of upgrades and repairs. I am proud to have led the efforts to create momentum for this project, and I would like to thank USDA for providing this critical funding.”

Uniontown, located in Alabama’s Black Belt region west of Montgomery and south of Tuscaloosa, has struggled with its sewer system for years. The city received a $4.8 million grant in 2012 to address the problem, but that proved insufficient to repair the numerous leaks and treatment issues that existed.

The sewer system has numerous problems, many stemming from a porous collection system of old, leaking pipes that allows thousands of gallons of rainwater into the sanitary sewer after even relatively small rain events. This infiltration of rainwater overwhelms the treatment lagoons and sprayfield which are designed to handle a much smaller volume of water. Untreated or partially treated sewage have been escaping from the lagoon and sprayfield for years, causing continuous overflows into Freetown Creek, a tributary of the Alabama River.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has been pursuing enforcement actions against the city for years for ongoing sewer overflows, but the city says it does not have the funding to fix the problems.

“They are an impoverished community,” ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said last month. “When you don’t have enough money to buy food, you’re not worried about routine maintenance on your house. This is years of that coming home to roost.”

Under the proposed project, the city’s wastewater would be piped to Demopolis, about 18 miles away, and treated at that city’s wastewater treatment plant, which is large enough to handle the extra volume. A significant portion of the funding will be used to repair the leaking sewer lines that are contributing to the problem.

Once that work is complete, Uniontown’s existing treatment lagoon and sprayfield will be decommissioned and reclaimed, according to the USDA grant announcement. The system receives wastewater from approximately 2,810 customers in Uniontown and surrounding areas of Perry County.

“No American family should have to live without access to safe wastewater treatment in the 21st century,” Sewell said. “I have met with families in rural Alabama who struggle with the health and economic challenges created by failing wastewater systems. Every day, their stories inspire my fight in Congress for stronger investments in our wastewater infrastructure.”

The 2018 grant had been publicly discussed previously, but was thrown into doubt last month, as officials said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey had not committed the matching funds from the state typically required for these types of grants. Ivey’s gubernatorial challenger Walt Maddox said Ivey had “indicated she was not interested” in providing state funds for the project and was jeopardizing the grant.

Ivey’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment on today’s announcement. In October, Ivey said she had not received an eligible request for a grant from local officials for the project and had concerns about the project.

“Certainly I want better for our people, but you have to remember they have a history of receiving large amounts of public funds to deal with these problems and have very little to show for results,” Ivey said last month. "So I think we need to consider a long-term, very prudent plan to address this situation.”

The USDA grant announcement states that $23,437,500 will come from the department’s Water and Waste Disposal Grants program, with another $7.8 million in other funding.

It is unclear whether the state will contribute a portion of those funds or what that portion will be.

Sewell’s communications director Chris MacKenzie said some of the matching funds are being contributed by local industries and economic development groups, though an exact breakdown was not immediately available.