JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Tate Reeves today announced that he signed House Bill 1715 which directs an additional $74 million to improve Mississippi’s rural water infrastructure.

The $74 million will be allocated to the Mississippi Department of Health to help fund the ARPA Rural Water Associations Infrastructure Grant Program. It will assist rural water associations in the construction of eligible drinking water infrastructure projects in communities across Mississippi.

“My administration is committed to improving water infrastructure across Mississippi,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “We’ve already made historic investments in Mississippi’s infrastructure, and we are keeping that going today. I look forward to continuing to work with communities across our state to help ensure their residents have access to clean drinking water.”

The additional funding follows the $300 million invested into the grant program last year through House Bills 1538 and 1421.

Rural water associations have already submitted applications related to water, to the Department of Health. The additional funds will ensure that the needs of every grant application from across the state can be met.

House Bill 1715 can be read in full here.