BEECH MOUNTAIN — The town of Beech Mountain will receive $10 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund funds for a water system improvement project.
Beech Mountain is one of communities statewide that will receive more than $253 million in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure funding and stormwater construction grants.
“Strong water and wastewater systems are vital for safe drinking water and economic development,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Thanks to federal funding from the Biden-Harris Administration and state appropriations we’ve made historic investments to rebuild and replace aging systems, especially in rural communities, which will make our state stronger.”
The awards include emerging contaminants (PFAS) funding and funding for lead service line inventories and replacements.
“Replacing aging infrastructure and adding the capacity to remove forever chemicals from drinking water benefits the health and pocketbooks of North Carolinians,” said DEQ Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser. “Funding these projects supports the future success of communities across our state.”
The Division reviewed 221 eligible applications from 65 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, requesting $2.64 billion. The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved the awards during its July 16 meeting. A list of all projects selected for funding is available on the Department of Environmental Quality website.
Funding this round came from the Drinking Water (DWSRF) and Clean Water (CWSRF) State Revolving Funds, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law DWSRF-Emerging Contaminants fund (BIL DWSRF-EC), and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement fund (BIL DWSRF-LSLR), the Drinking Water and Wastewater State Reserves, the Viable Utilities Reserve (VUR, for Asset Inventory and Assessment projects), the Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure (CDBG-I) program and the Local Assistance for Stormwater Infrastructure Investments (LASII) fund (for construction projects). Projects funded with Viable Utility Reserve funds are subject to approval by the Local Government Commission.
The State Revolving Funds provide low-interest loans and Principal Forgiveness loans. Funding from the CDBG-I program provides grants to fund wastewater and drinking water projects in areas that meet the U.S. Housing and Urban Development low-to-moderate income threshold. Applications for addressing emerging contaminants (PFAS) and for identifying and replacing lead service lines were also accepted.
The Authority is an independent body with primary responsibility for awarding federal and state funding for water infrastructure projects. Other responsibilities include establishing priorities for making loans and grants, 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 upcoming Fall 2024 funding round for drinking water, wastewater, lead service line and emerging contaminants projects opens on July 30 and ends on Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. Funding application training for this round will be provided through five in-person statewide sessions July 30 through Aug. 9, with a virtual option available and a recorded training session to be available on the Division website. The training session time and locations schedule is available on the DEQ website.
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