(KAIR)--An Atchison County community is among 34 Kansas municipalities and special districts earmarked to receive a portion of what a joint release from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Water Office calls "an $18 million investment" related to water issues.

The release says 19 Technical Assistance Grants and 15 Water Project Grants are being awarded.

Among the 19 receiving funds in the Technical Assistance Grants category is the City of Effingham, which will receive $300,000, with the grants made possible through a 2023 Senate Bill, signed into law by Kelly in April of last year.

The release explains that "the bipartisan legislation invested a record $35 million into the State Water Plan," then "added $18 million on top of the annual $8 million for the State Water Plan and $17 million for the two grant funds."

This year, the Kansas Legislature added $1 million to the program to meet the needs of additional requests that were made.

Kelly, in the release, says the "investment is vital to the water resources and livelihoods of Kansans" in the selected, rural communities, adding that "by working together, [KS is] making progress on our water crisis while ensuring communities have access to the resources they need to address their pressing water issues.”

Applicants with emergent water issues, socioeconomic and community factors, conservation plans, and populations of fewer than 2,000 residents were prioritized in the review process.

More than 122 Technical Assistance applications and 187 Water Project applications, were received for the first round of funding.