Stein, DEQ announce resilient water infrastructure grants for Haywood County
Lake Junaluska.
File photo
Two Haywood County water systems will benefit from a combined $15 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program for disaster-affected states. North Carolina is the first state impacted by Helene to award grants from this program.
The Town of Waynesville will receive $5 million to convert a gravity sewer line to a force main with a new pump station and to relocate an existing junction box outside of the 500-year flood plain.
Junaluska Sanitary District will receive $10 million to rebuild and provide resilience to withstand floods. The shifting of the Pigeon River due to Helene flooding adversely impacted its old system. The proposed project will replace outdated, undersized and aged water mains that service more than 300 residential connections along the Pigeon River. These lines are dead-end lines and are not looped or connected to other water mains. New water mains, along with valves, new water supply wells outside of the 500-year flood plain and installation of backup power will provide resiliency,
The two Haywood County grants, announced Sept. 18 by Gov. Josh Stein, were only a small part of a larger package of $86 million in funding that also went to towns in Burke, Caldwell and Madison counties.
