May 8, 2017 (Newton, Texas) - The Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) was pleased to award the City of Newton a Community Assistance Program Grant on May 3rd as part of SRA's Fiscal Year 2017 Economic Development Initiative. The $10,000 check will be used to install an emergency interconnect to provide water to customers of the neighboring East Newton Water Supply Corporation (WSC). After being made aware of the WSC's water well collapse from U.S. Congressman Brian Babin, State Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative James White, SRA is pleased to quickly respond to this emergency through our grant program. David Montagne, SRA's Executive Vice-President and General Manager, stated "SRA supports the proposed project and understands the critical importance of constructing an emergency interconnect to provide water to the customers of East Newton WSC as quickly as possible and hope those funds will assist in that endeavor."
Funds provided for the Community Assistance Grant Program must fall within four project categories, which include 1) Water Supply; 2) Wastewater Management; 3) Water Conservation; and 4) Water Quality and are limited to $10,000 per project.
In order to be eligible for the Community Assistance Program, applicants should be a governmental entity, district, or a non-profit, member-owned water supply corporation or sewer service corporation and located within the Sabine River Basin of Texas. Water resource projects should be consistent with the statutory mission of SRA.
Created as a conservation and reclamation district in 1949, responsibilities of the SRA are to control, store, preserve and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary system for useful purposes. The Sabine River Basin covers a large portion of East Texas with a population of over 551,000 in all or part of 21 counties according to U.S. 2010 Census figures. A large portion of that area is rural in nature.
For more information about SRA's Community Assistance Program, contact Mary Vann at (409) 746-2192 or email: cap@sratx.org.
