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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

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Rural Water and Wastewater Grants and Loans

USDA provides loans and grants to low-income rural communities of 10,000 or less people. The program finances drinking water, sewer, and solid waste disposal facilities. Priority is given to smaller communities that have greater financial need, based on their median household income, poverty levels, and population.

Rating

What This Rating Means

PERFORMING
Effective

This is the highest rating a program can achieve. Programs rated Effective set ambitious goals, achieve results, are well-managed and improve efficiency.
  • The program is successful in targeting assistance for water and wastewater infrastructure to poor rural areas. For instance, while the minimum requirement is that the community being served is less than 10,000 people, the average size of the population being served is 4,000, and the average median income within the communites is, on average, 80% of the state median income.
  • USDA does an good job of collecting program data and using it to manage effectively. Accordingly, over the life of the program, fewer people in rural areas are experiencing problems with access to safe, affordable drinking water and wastewater disposal.
  • Resources are used effectively. The program is efficient in managing the loan to grant ratio, which allows the maximum amount of assistance within limited resources.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Implementing newly developed long term measures to ensure that targets are met and continue to be ambitious.
  • Developing additional efficiency measures that assess the cost effectiveness and total cost to the government (program plus administrative costs) of the program.

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