Location: Maricopa, Pinal County, Arizona

Problem:  A small water system needed financing to provide drinking water to its customers

Solution: Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Loan Fund provided a predevelopment loan

Maricopa Mountain Domestic Water Improvement District is a designated colonia community in Pinal County, Arizona. It provides water to a large service area. Some homes are connected by a distribution line and others use portable water tanks to collect water at standpipes, which are vertical pipes that connect to the main system, and haul it back to their homes for drinking and household use.

The median household income in Maricopa is just more than $30,000. RCAC’s environmental staff worked with the District to secure U.S Department of Agriculture funding to improve the water system and replace failed equipment. The project will include improving the distribution system to provide connections to users so they will not have to haul water to their homes.

USDA issued a Letter of Conditions for the District to complete to access the funding. RCAC’s Loan Fund provided a $243,434 predevelopment loan to fulfill the required design engineering and obtain commitment from a minimum number of water users that agree to connect to water lines or purchase water from the District

Once complete, the District will be able to increase safe water access for its customers.