In Selma, Alabama — part of the state’s Black Belt region — the Dallas County Water & Sewer Authority had long struggled with failing infrastructure that too often left sewage spilling into customers’ yards and homes. With limited resources, the utility relied on costly rentals and short-term fixes just to keep its system running.

This fall marked a turning point. In September 2025, the Authority secured a $200,000 loan from Communities Unlimited (CU) to purchase a tractor, sewer vacuum truck, crane service truck, utility terrain vehicle, and storage shed. For General Manager Courtney Cunningham, the impact is clear:

“We needed a crane truck to lift pumps out of the wet wells at our lift stations so we can clean, monitor, and maintain them properly. The vacuum truck will help us empty out smaller lift stations and haul solids to the wastewater plant, which prevents backups in customers’ homes and yards. Having the right equipment means we can finally maintain our system properly and operate much more efficiently.”

It was the Authority’s second loan from CU this year. Earlier in 2025, CU provided $285,000 for bypass pumps, ending an expensive $120,000-a-year rental cycle. Cunningham said that shift alone saved the utility thousands of dollars while giving staff the tools they needed to do their jobs.

“These loans are letting us get on better footing. Our system was failing and didn’t have the equipment we needed. Now we’re starting to see progress.”

Behind the financing was CU’s Lending Team, while the Community Infrastructure Team worked directly with Dallas County Water & Sewer. Community Infrastructure Management Technician Alexis Nank alerted the Authority to CU’s limited-time Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) program, offered through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), which provided up to $200,000 at a 3% interest rate. She guided the system through the documentation, while Senior Economic Development Loan Officer Chris Ranniger carried the financing across the finish line. The loan closed on September 15.

Nank also led a full review of the system’s rates. What began as a basic rate study expanded as the board requested several different versions — including one that raises rates only for industrial customers and another that incorporates new metering data.

Over the last few months, she’s reviewed the system’s 2024 audit, checked customer numbers, updated revenue projections, and gathered details from the recent loan to get the clearest picture of what the system needs moving forward. She worked closely with CU Alabama State Coordinator Dinah Foreman to test different options and understand how each one would affect the system and its customers.

Nank recently presented the updated report and presentation to the Chairman and General Manager. However, they chose not to take it before the board at their most recent meeting. Right now, leadership is weighing a key decision: whether to raise rates first or prioritize installing new meters.

In addition, Nank is working to connect the Authority with CU’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Team to map its infrastructure — giving the utility better visibility into its assets and clearer priorities for upgrades.

This technical assistance complements more than $8.8 million in grants already secured, including $7.12 million from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s (ADEM) Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and $1.77 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Together, those resources will modernize the system with new lift stations, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology, line replacements, well rehabilitation, and meters that could increase revenues by up to 20%.

For a utility once defined by patchwork repairs and financial strain, the combination of grants, CU loans, and ongoing technical assistance signals a new chapter.