The N.C. Rural Development Center has announced a series of $38.3 million in grants from the Clean Water Partners Infrastructure Fund for 116 projects. This fund provides money for local governments to expand or improve fresh water systems or to improve wastewater treatment or watershed improvements. Improving the handling of wastewater and protecting watersheds can result in better supplies of potable water for human consumption.
The grants include $500,000 to allow the city of Wilson to pump water to Nash County and Rocky Mount. Wilson and Rocky Mount began this project last year, when a statewide drought nearly dried up Rocky Mount's Tar River Reservoir. Engineers from both cities worked to devise a speedy and effective means of pumping abundant water from Wilson's Buckhorn Reservoir into Rocky Mount's system. Officials examined a number of ways of transferring the water, either directly into Rocky Mount's pipelines or into its reservoir.
By the time the engineering problems were resolved and a connection made, the drought crisis had abated, and only a small amount of water exchanged hands.
But last summer's hand-wringing emphasized the need for cooperation among cities to make efficient use of available water. Municipalities did not like Easley's proposal to give his office dictatorial powers over water transfers, but they have been accommodating to neighboring cities and towns in need.
The town of Elm City will receive $500,000 to help it upgrade and revamp its wastewater treatment system. The town has been working for years to bring its sewer system up to standards, but the progress has been frustratingly slow as more and more problems were discovered. Elm City voters have approved bonds to upgrade the antiquated system of sewer pipes, and the town's treatment lagoon has been improved. The state grant should go a long way toward getting Elm City off the state's sewer moratorium that has stymied growth in the town.
Wilson County's water system also received funds to expand the Southeast Water District, allowing the county to extend fresh water to 80 homes with contaminated wells. The $321,000 grant will help the struggling county system.
Edgecombe County is receiving $500,000 to extend public water to 60 homes with contaminated wells, and Nash County received the same amount to extend water lines to homes with contaminated wells.