U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $508,000 to Make Critical Water System Improvements in Centerville, Tennessee

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $508,000 grant to the Town of Centerville, Tennessee, to make water infrastructure improvements needed to protect local businesses from flooding. This EDA grant, to be matched with $127,000 in local investment, is expected to create 55 jobs and generate $9.5 million in private investment.

“Centerville and the surrounding area were hit hard by heavy rains and significant flooding in February 2019,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “The improvements being made with this grant will build out the infrastructure needed to reduce the impact of flooding on employers and build long-term economic resiliency.”

This investment will mitigate vulnerability to future storm events which might disrupt and endanger both regional and local employment. Additionally, the project will support future expansion of existing companies and the recruitment of new industries into the area, as well as address multiple health and safety needs in the region.

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the South Central Tennessee Development District, which EDA 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) Program 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 for more information.

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.