Corinth Water Supply Corporation (WSC) has been operating since 1969. Located near Grand Saline, Texas, 70 miles east of Dallas, the rural Texas water system has 395 connections and provides water to the communities of Oakland and Corinth.

The system started with one well but has expanded to three wells and two booster stations. Due to recent growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Grand Saline is seeing new residents move in.

To meet the rising demand, Corinth WSC needed to upgrade its infrastructure and add new water meters. They had to turn down a development project before because it would have pushed them near the capacity limit set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Instead, Corinth WSC sought a different solution. Ronda Pietruszka, an Area Specialist with the United States Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD), referred the water system to the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited (CU).

Corinth WSC, with the help of CU Environmental Lender Chris Ranniger, received a $240,000 CDFI loan. Community Environmental Management Technician Janelle Saucedo also worked with the system.

The funding, along with the water system’s savings, will make major changes to two well sites, adding the capacity needed for future expansion.

The project will add a 30,000-gallon galvanized steel tank, a 3,500-gallon hydro-pneumatic tank, a 2,500-gallon pneumatic tank, a 60-kilowatt emergency generator, and expand the pump building. Electrical and piping work will also be done.

This project will let the rural Texas water system add more meters and customers while staying within TCEQ capacity guidelines for years as its customer base grows.

“We’re just now starting the (construction) process and haven’t had to use the funds yet,” said Sandy Currey, bookkeeper at Corinth WSC. “Everyone at Communities Unlimited has been wonderful. Chris in Nacogdoches was great to work with; I communicated with him and sent in the necessary paperwork. Janelle in Dallas was super nice. The entire CU team has been very helpful.”

Saucedo says working with Ranniger and Currey was easy and smooth. She also noted these upgrades are essential as more people move into Grand Saline and the surrounding area.