Finding that kind of cash is no easy task for a rural county -- particularly one that in the past two decades has seen some of its biggest employers close up shop.

On Monday, however, Alleghany County got the stimulus infusion it needed.

U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, swung through town to sign an oversized check for $10 million to the county to kick-start construction of a new, modernized wastewater treatment plant in Iron Gate. Another $7.6 million will be provided in the form of a low-interest federal loan, and Boucher said he's also advocating for money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Agency.

County officials hope the project will produce construction jobs in the short term -- county board Chairman Steve Bennett announced the project will be broken into small phases to try to get local contractors involved -- while also fueling residential, commercial and industrial development in the long term.

It's a new world for local governments.

At a time when state and local governments are cutting programs and slashing services, money for capital projects is coming in droves, thanks to a $787 billion spending package passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in February.

Boucher is right in the midst of it. Nearly $235.7 million in stimulus money has landed in his 9th District.

But other portions of Western and central Virginia have benefitted, too.

The Poff Federal Building in Roanoke will receive about $51 million for renovations for what's billed as "green" improvements. Lynchburg is getting $25 million to modernize its sewers. The Army Corps of Engineers will use $5.25 million to complete structural portions of the Roanoke River flood reduction project.

Alleghany County officials see the wastewater treatment funding as a tremendous boost for economic development. Cletus Nicely, who represents the eastern portion of the county on the board of supervisors, said the new plant will serve two exchanges off Interstate 64 that previously have been all but neglected by developers.

"We cannot add anything," Nicely said. "We're at a standstill" because of sewer capacity.

With the new wastewater plant, however, Nicely said he expects Exit 27, which marks the intersection of U.S. 220 and I-64, "to take off and boom in the near future."

David Kleppinger, executive director of the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, said he sees even more potential farther east, where the county has planned a 180-acre industrial park.

Securing funding for local projects, however, is more difficult than it may appear. The funding process is still murky: Money comes from different streams, each with its own quirks and peculiarities.

U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Albemarle County, hired a staff member to work exclusively with helping local governments in his district with the process.

"Really, what most congressional offices and particularly I have been doing is becoming familiar with the projects in our district, and in the various streams of funding and linking the two," said Brennan Johnson, whose job title in Perriello's office is economic recovery coordinator.

Some money flows through the state and is administered either by formula or by competitive grants. Some goes directly to localities through a federal formula. And some will be administered from federal agencies through competitive grants.

When first hired, Johnson went on a tour to meet with officials from all of the 22 localities within Perriello's 5th District. Since then, she's kept officials informed through regular e-mail updates.

"Our office is about making people aware of funding opportunities as much as possible," Johnson said.

Beyond that, congressional representatives can exert what influence they have to try and tilt money toward their districts.

Perriello has been meeting with Gov. Tim Kaine as well as with federal and state secretaries and agency heads to try to sway them toward diverting money to the 5th District, spokeswoman Jessica Barba said.

Another example can be seen with Boucher, a fairly influential Democrat who so far has tracked 218 stimulus-funded projects in the 9th District. He said that he expects much more when federal agencies start awarding money for broadband Internet infrastructure: Both agencies are overseen by a telecommunications subcommittee that he leads, and "I will be advocating very strongly for the applications that come from our district."

It's less clear how Republican-represented districts will fare. All of the Republicans in the House and most in the Senate voted against the stimulus package.

While Roanoke has landed some high-dollar awards -- most notably the $51 million renovation of the Poff building -- the office of U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County, does not have a comprehensive list of 6th District projects.

Goodlatte is clearly in a tough position, summed up in a statement issued last week in response to announced stimulus funding for the Roanoke River flood reduction project: "While I disagree with the approach the so-called stimulus bill takes and believe it is not the most effective way to create jobs and rekindle our economy, it has been signed into law and I believe that Congress must work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure proper oversight of this $1.1 trillion program and to ensure it reaches those areas that need it most, including areas in the 6th District."

Boucher said he believes that many congressional Republicans regret their vote on the stimulus package.

"That was a mistake on their part, substantively and in the long term probably politically," Boucher said. "But that's not going to be held against anyone in terms of the ability of their constituents to access funds for which they're eligible."

The process leaves most of the burden on the localities. Franklin County Administrator Rick Huff said his staff quickly submitted a number of applications for "shovel-ready" projects with quick turnaround times. The No. 1 item on his wish list, however, is a bit more complicated.

Huff wants a natural gas line to be extended from Roanoke County into Franklin County. The absence of such a line has cost the county economic development deals in the past.

But there's an issue with the project -- and in these days of stimulus, it's not the $12 million to $13 million price tag.

" 'Shovel ready' is a very amorphous term at this point," Huff said. "Depending on what they determine has to be shovel ready, we've got some cost estimates and some preliminary work done. But the engineering work is not done."

Such details might make the difference between winning federal stimulus money or looking for another way to pay.