A $3 million funding package for emergency water and waste water improvements in Jefferson County passed the U.S. Senate Thursday.

The funding, part of a Veterans Administration/Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, is expected to be signed by President Clinton this week, said Lee Youngblood, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott’s office.

After meeting with Fayette and Jefferson County officials, Lott worked with Fayette resident Charles Evers to try to secure the funding, Youngblood said.

&uot;This funding is badly needed by many residents of Jefferson County,&uot; Lott said. &uot;All of Mississippi’s citizens are entitled to clean, safe drinking water, and this package will make sure that the residents of Jefferson County are much better served.&uot;

Jefferson County water customers have had to endure several boil-water notices recently, Youngblood said.

Currently Jefferson County has not ability to finance public improvement projects of the scale required to revitalize the county’s water and waste system, Lott said. The requested federal funding will be used to begin construction of an entirely new county-wide water and waste water system. This includes the construction of a new treatment plant, water distribution lines and sewer system.

&uot;This us an emergency request,&uot; Lott said. &uot;during those meetings with Jefferson County officials in my office, I was told that, due to a complete breakdown of the county-wide water and wastewater system, residents who depend on this system have consistently been required to boil their drinking water.&uot;