Where: Garberville, Humboldt County, California

Issue: A rural community needed to replace its water storage tank but lacked the financial resources to proceed

Outcome: Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Loan Fund provided a $500,000 environmental construction loan

Garberville Sanitary District (GSD) serves residents in a small, unincorporated rural community in northern California. Garberville’s population is just more than 900, and it is designated as a disadvantaged community with a $21,944 median household income.

GSD owns and operates the domestic water system including four water storage tanks. One of those tanks experienced leaks for at least 10 years. During 2014, the leak began to grow substantially, and it was reported to the California State Water Resources Control Board. To correct the problem and meet Safe Drinking Water Regulations for minimum storage capacity, GSD needed to construct a 200,000 gallon steel replacement storage tank.

Funding was the main obstacle to completing the project. GSD did not have the financial resources to pay for the tank, but obtaining funds through U.S. Department of Agriculture would subject the project to delays and additional costs to comply with environmental and bonding requirements associated with federal funding.

RCAC’s Loan Fund had provided financing for a previous GSD project, so it requested additional financing for the storage tank construction. The Loan Fund provided a $500,000 loan so the project could be completed in a timely fashion and meet DWR regulations.