By The Hays Daily News

Thirty-nine communities in Kansas will be receiving money from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment under the auspices of the federal stimulus bill.

Six of the projects are in northwest Kansas.

Those projects are:

* City of Goodland, $4.5 million. The city drinking water supply exceeds the drinking water standard for nitrates. The project will construct a pipeline to blend water supply wells.

* City of Kirwin, $304,000. The drinking water supply exceeds the drinking water standard for nitrates.  This project will entail installing treatment units at individual households.

* City of La Crosse, $420,000. The project will replace aging and deteriorated waterlines to reduce water loss and maintenance costs.

* City of Otis, $1.2 million. The project will replace 21,500 feet of deteriorating waterline to reduce water loss, install a telemetry system for operation of wells and pump station, install an emergency power generator, and construct wind turbines to supply renewable energy to the system.  

* City of Russell, $300,000. The project will replace 2,900 feet of deteriorating waterline to improve water flow and reduce water loss.

* City of Victoria, $750,000. The project will rehabilitate an existing pumpstation, install a standby generator, update telemetry system and replace deteriorated waterlines.

The goal of the money is to help provide jobs.

While the money comes in the form of a low-interest loan, at least some of the principal will be forgiven during the course of the pay-back period.