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U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and Congressman James Clyburn (S.C. District 6) announces $30 million in investments that will create opportunities for students and improve infrastructure for thousands of people in South Carolina. USDA is investing $11.8 million to improve the Santee Wastewater Treatment Plant. USDA is also investing $18 million to construct a new Student Activity and Community Center at Claflin University, while at the Orangeburg County Library and Conference Center in Orangeburg, SC, on August 8, 2022.

Critical upgrades for future expansion will be made possible through a USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan of $5,054,000 and a grant of $6,839,300 to the Town of Santee. This essential USDA Rural Development funding will be used to convert an outdated aerated lagoon system to a Sequencing Batch Reactor system with capabilities to expand the system in the future. This project will expand Santee’s water waste treatment plant (WWTP) from 0.713 million gallons per day (MGD) to 1.5 MGD, with the ability to expand to 3 MGD when needed. The expansion of the Santee WWTP is necessary to ensure that wastewater discharged into the Santee Wastewater System continues to be properly treated and that the region can serve current and future economic development.

The $18 Million Investment made possible through USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities and Direct Loan and Guaranteed Loan Program will enable Claflin University to construct a Student Activity and Community Center that is anticipated to be a three-story, approximately 85,000-square-foot student-focused facility that will host classrooms, student life activities, an E-sports area, student meeting spaces, and a student-focused café that can partner with national food service brands. Indoor and outdoor soft areas for seating and gatherings will be provided both on the ground level and third floor. Shared student/community spaces will include a performing arts/theatre auditorium and a conference/ballroom with an 800-person seating capacity.

USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities Programs offer direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in communities across rural America. These amenities help increase the competitiveness of rural communities in attracting and retaining businesses that provide employment and services for their residents.

For more information, go to The news release at rd.usda.gov/newsroom/news-release/usda-invests-30-million-infrastructure-and-education-facility-upgrades-rural-south-carolina

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program in South Carolina at rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/water-waste-disposal-loan-grant-program/sc

Community Facilities and Direct Loan and Guaranteed Loan Program at rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program/sc