Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $12.2 Million to Construct New Wastewater Treatment Facility to Protect Businesses near Opportunity Zone from Flooding in South Sioux City, Nebraska

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $12.2 million grant to South Sioux City, Nebraska, to construct a new wastewater treatment facility that will support business growth following severe flood damage in 2019. The EDA grant, to be located near a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $12.2 million in local investment and is expected to create nearly 60 jobs and spur $160 million in private investment.

“The Trump Administration continues to work diligently to rebuild and protect communities impacted by natural disasters,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “This new wastewater treatment facility in South Sioux City will accelerate economic growth near an Opportunity Zone and make businesses more resilient to future flooding and severe weather.”

“This investment will fund construction of a brand-new wastewater treatment facility following severe damage from floods that impacted Nebraska in the spring of 2019,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “The new facility will provide the city with sustainable and stable infrastructure, and the project’s location near an Opportunity Zone will attract further investment to diversify and grow the local economy.”

“The EDA’s $12.2 million grant will be a big benefit to local leaders as they invest in infrastructure to grow South Sioux City,” said Governor Pete Ricketts. “Thank you to the Trump Administration and Secretary Ross for supporting South Sioux City as it rebuilds bigger and better than before the 2019 floods.”

“I thank Commerce Secretary Ross for awarding this grant, which represents an important investment in the South Sioux City community,” said Senator Deb Fischer. “This project will promote key economic growth in the community, which is particularly important as Nebraska continues to rebuild following last year’s disastrous flooding.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council, which funds to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

This project is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-20) (PDF), which provided EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (PDF) funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas affected by Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and other major natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, under the Robert T. Stafford Act. Please visit EDA’s Disaster Supplemental webpage.

The funding announced today will help catalyze private investment in a nearby Opportunity Zone. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone program, see the Opportunity Now resources page here.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.