well, we've been able to use some srf money. our engineer takes whatever they allow at that consultant amount, you know, whatever they allow for attorney for an engineer or whatever. he does the paperwork for whatever that is. and they've got that specified in the loan. and we've been able to -- i know certain regions maybe not, but we've been able to take advantage of some srf money. we were having trouble getting money through rural development. >> thank you. my time has expired. mr. keegan, do you want to respond? >> we've had trouble accessing funds from either program. in new york state, a lot of the funding goes to communities that have a citation, some problem with their system. we are -- our engineers work hard to keep our system smooth running. so we're sort of at the bottom of the pile. >> thank you very much. rural america knows how hard it is to get blood out of a turnip and i appreciate piet you having this hearing so we can shed light on how difficult it is to do this. >> thank you. i thank my ranking member and my

in addition to support through traditional funding mechanisms the srf and grant programs we should also examine alternative financing mechanisms, new technologies and potential new partnerships that will enable every dollar to go forward in reducing the backlog of infrastructure projects and in ways reducing operating costs through efficiency, both water and energy. i am very pleased to have mayor keegan here this morning to represent the small water utilities that serve people throughout our state, new york. mayor keegan and our witness representative harper's district in mississippi will provide us with a glimpse of the challenges they face each and every day and their efforts to deliver clean, safe drinking water to their public. they do a remarkable job in keeping clean water flowing to every home every day. water infrastructure is essential. it's the only way to state it. we can't afford to do this, we cannot afford to delay these investments any longer. public health, community viability and economic vitality all rest on the foundation of a sound infrastructure. we cannot maintain