July 18, 2022

Wyden, Merkley: City of Amity To Receive More Than $6 Million in Grants and Loans for Water Improvements

USDA Rural Development resources will help the Yamhill County town upgrade its water treatment system, improve water reliability and create capacity to meet water consumption needs

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Amity has secured a $4.83 million loan and $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve water treatment, reliability and capacity in the Yamhill County town.

“These federal investments will provide crucial help for Amity residents counting on safe and reliable drinking water in their homes, schools and small businesses,” Wyden said. “I’m glad Amity’s work to qualify for these funds has paid dividends. And I’ll keep fighting for similar infrastructure investments in small communities throughout our state to have a topnotch rural quality of life.”

“Access to safe, reliable drinking water is crucial for every single one of us,” said Senator Merkley. “This funding to Amity for improvements to their water infrastructure will provide immense benefits for years to come and will ensure that everyone in Amity has access to reliable and safe water. I will continue to work to support rural water investments like this as a member of the Senate Appropriations committee.” 

The loan of $4.83 million and grant of $1.5 million from USDA Rural Development for Amity will be used to relocate the city's water intake further upstream along the South Yamhill River, install new intake, wet well, pumps and generator platform; install new clearwell and finished water pipeline; and to improve the reliability of the city's drinking water source. The funds will also help install a new section of raw water pipeline from the new intake to connect with the raw water pipeline and also to renovate and refurbish the water treatment facility to ensure system capacity meets standards and produces enough water to meet current and future demand.

“Reliable access to adequate and safe drinking water is a basic and fundamental human need. Collaboration and prioritization on all governmental levels is imperative to the success of meeting this need long term; especially in small, rural, and agricultural communities,” said Amity Mayor Rachel King. “To secure this funding, and have the ability to move ahead with these significant improvements to Amity’s water infrastructure is a huge step forward for our city.  I’m grateful for the collective work, advocacy, and opportunities available that have gotten us to this point in the process. These investments will not only benefit every one of our residents, but will have a long-lasting positive impact for generations to come.”