Rutland's water tower is getting some much-needed maintenance.

Village President Dan Krischel said the Illinois EPA awarded the village $121,784 to cover most of the cost of rehabilitating the village"s 75,000-gallon elevated storage tank.

"We're going to get the water tower repainted inside and out," Krischel said. "It was built in 1987 and no major maintenance has been done to it since then."

A recent inspection recommended full rehabilitation of the interior and exterior surfaces. Construction is expected to extend over four months, with temporary storage and extended well pumping schedules utilized to assure continuous water service. Krischel said the work should start in about two months.

The EPA is awarding the funds at 20-year zero percent interest, 25 percent forgiveness terms. Roughly a fourth of the cost will be covered using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus funds, through the Illinois EPA"s State Revolving Fund infrastructure program authorized earlier this year by Congress and President Obama.

Rutland was one of the three communities awarded grants and loans for wastewater and drinking water projects by Gov. Pat Quinn last week.

The three communities, Groveland, Rutland and Piper City, are among the first communities in Illinois to receive ARRA awards, having met the "shovel ready" definition required in the law. Under ARRA, the state allocates available funding based on "readiness to proceed" since one of the primary goals of the stimulus legislation is to move projects forward as quickly as possible to create jobs, as well as meet critical community infrastructure needs.

Stimulus funds provide a substantial increase in clean water and drinking water low-interest revolving loan programs administered by the Illinois EPA. The programs provide financing in the form of grants and zero-interest loans to communities for such projects as wastewater treatment plant upgrades and expansions, new sewer lines, drinking water treatment plant modifications and expansions, and new or replacement water distribution systems.