The sewer system needed so much repair work that Brad Cradeur wasn’t sure how – or when – he would have enough money for it all.

Cradeur is the executive director of Iberia Parish Sewerage District No. 1, which serves several thousand residents in Iberia Parish, located on the Louisiana coast. Sewer pipes needed new liners to prevent groundwater from seeping in. Lift stations and treatment plant equipment like aerators and clarifiers were also due for an upgrade.

The sewerage district takes in enough revenue to operate the system but not enough for major reinvestments. Saving several million dollars for the capital improvements would take the district a decade or two, Cradeur reckoned.

Fortunately, the sewerage district doesn’t face that decision any more. To complete the sewer work, the district will receive $5.7 million in federal grants channeled through state and parish governments.

“It’s huge,” Cradeur told Circle of Blue. “It really allows us to do monumental overhauling that we’d have to budget for years to do.”