North Carolina communities awarded $153 million for water and sewer improvement projects
RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper announced today $153 million in loans and grants to help pay for 48 drinking water and wastewater projects statewide.
“North Carolina families deserve clean water, and this funding will help communities tackle the challenge of aging water and wastewater systems to improve quality of life and increase good paying jobs,” said Governor Cooper.
Notable projects in the latest funding round include:
Lumberton, in Robeson County, will receive a $2,829,790 Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan for wastewater system improvements that include rehabilitation of three sewer pump stations, raising them above the 100-year flood plain.
Jamesville, in Martin County, will receive a $1,847,934 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan, with $500,00 in principal forgiveness, for an ongoing project replacing a 100,000 gallons per day water treatment plant.
Davie County will receive a $6,926,193 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan (additional funding for an ongoing project expanding the Davie County Water Treatment Plant) and de-commissioning of the Mocksville Water Treatment Plant and installing interconnection from Davie County to Mocksville.
Burnsville, in Yancey County, will receive a $1,337,350 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan, with $334,337 in principal forgiveness, for an ongoing project upgrading their water treatment plant.
Grants for 15 local utilities through the Viable Utility Reserve to fund asset inventory and assessment studies.
A list of all projects funded statewide by town or county is available online. These projects are funded through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan program, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan program and the Viable Utility Reserve (VUR).
“For rural communities especially, the costs of managing aging infrastructure can be extremely challenging. These projects will improve the viability, reliability and resiliency of these utilities, bringing benefits across the state,” said Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser.
As indicated in the funding award summary document, the amount of funding requested by North Carolina towns in this round alone, $617.2 million, far exceeded the $158.3 million in available funding for this round- strong evidence of the need for additional funding. Studies show that North Carolina needs from $17 billion to $26 billion in upgrades to its water and sewer infrastructure statewide.
The project funding was approved at the State Water Infrastructure Authority's July 14 meeting. The Authority is an independent body with primary responsibility for awarding federal and state funding for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Other responsibilities include developing a state water infrastructure master plan, recommending ways to maximize the use of available loan and grant funding resources, and examining best and emerging practices.
The application period for the Authority’s next round of funding for water and wastewater infrastructure projects ends on September 30. The Division of Water Infrastructure will conduct training sessions available July 27 through August 5 at six locations statewide (Hendersonville, Valdese, Winston-Salem, Durham/RTP, Winterville and Pembroke) for applicants interested in applying for the next round of funds. The training schedule and instructions for registering and attending are available at: https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/WI/Division/2021-Fall-Training-Announcement-FINAL-6-28-21.pdf
