The state distributes grants to rural communities to help them with projects such as infrastructure improvement, public facilities and economic development.

The EPA will loan Indiana more than $400 million to help fund 23 water infrastructure projects across the state 10 of those will be in rural areas.

The state is one step closer to creating a program that would help cities pay for things like pipes and drains.

One of the committee's many recommendations is that the state study areas where communities can collaborate to help pay for costly infrastructure improvements.

Experts estimate improvements to the state's water infrastructure will cost billions of dollars - and most of that would come from Indiana residents.

The state Water Infrastructure Task Force is looking into things like how growing populations and businesses will share water as well as replacing aging water lines and septic systems.

The White River Alliance hosted the state's first water summit this week. The two-day event brought experts together to take a closer look at how Indiana can protect its water resources.