A Recovery Act program designed to develop water and waste disposal systems in rural areas has been slower than expected in adding jobs, according to a report by the Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General.
Created to help fund projects in towns smaller than 10,000 people, the Water and Waste Disposal System Loan and Grants Program has only added about 415 jobs, despite estimates it could add up to 3,384 jobs. Projects have been slow to get off the ground, sometimes taking as long as 30 months to begin after funding became available.
But the inspector general's report did mention that money for the projects has been handed out to qualified businesses without waste, and that projects funded by the loans should have a long-term positive impact in their communities.
