Mo. Communities To Get $266M For Water Projects

CHRIS BLANK

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dozens of Missouri communities will be splitting $266 million for wastewater and drinking water improvements under a construction plan announced by Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday.

Nixon announced the plan while touring work sites in Springfield and Liberty in suburban Kansas City. The construction money is to be split with $146 million coming from the federal stimulus package and $120 million from a state loan program.

So far, 35 cities and water districts have been awarded money for wastewater projects and 17 communities have received funds for drinking water construction. Nixon, a Democrat, said the money will fund important infrastructure improvements and put people to work.

"Too many Missourians are currently out of work. We want them back on the job as quickly as possible, and that's why we are pulsing these funds into communities with instructions to put them promptly to use," Nixon said in a written statement.

The economic affect of the additional construction projects is still being analyzed, and it is unknown how many jobs are likely to be developed.