en.Wedoany.com Reported - North Carolina has announced over $244 million in grants to 28 counties for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects, with $44 million specifically designated for post-Hurricane Helene recovery in the western part of the state. The State Water Infrastructure Authority (SWIA) approved funding for 45 projects on July 15, aimed at helping local governments strengthen infrastructure to withstand future storms, improve existing water supply and drainage systems, reduce permanent chemical contamination, and identify and replace lead pipes. Governor Josh Stein stated that these projects will ensure residents have access to clean and reliable water when they turn on their taps, while making water systems more resilient.
Reid Wilson, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, noted that these projects will protect residents from hazardous chemicals, enhance community flood resilience, and promote economic growth. The State Water Infrastructure Authority is an independent agency primarily responsible for allocating federal and state funds for water infrastructure projects.
Some of the funded projects include: The City of Graham (Alamance County) received a $26,558,534 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) for the Graham-Mebane Water Treatment Plant Reliability Project; the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority (Granville County) received a $21,868,000 loan from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) DWSRF for a post-filtration PFAS treatment improvement project; Pitt County received a $250,000 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) decentralized wastewater treatment system pilot project to repair or replace failing septic systems; the City of Marion (McDowell County) received a $3,421,300 loan from the IIJA DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement Fund for a lead and copper service line replacement project, along with an additional $1 million for a lead and copper service line inventory project; the City of Hendersonville (Henderson County) received a $35 million loan from the CWSRF for a wastewater treatment plant flood mitigation project; the Town of Newport (Carteret County) received a $13.42 million loan from the DWSRF for a water treatment improvement project; the City of Siler City/Three Rivers Water (Lee County) received a $5 million loan from the IIJA CWSRF Emerging Contaminants Construction Fund for a PFAS treatment construction project; the Town of Waynesville (Haywood County) received a $5,443,600 loan from the CWSRF for a wastewater treatment plant resilience upgrade project; the Town of Littleton (Halifax County) received a $1,859,000 loan from the IIJA-DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement Fund to locate and replace lead service lines, along with an additional $589,000 for a lead service line replacement project; the Village of Simpson (Pitt County) received a $10,136,125 loan from the CWSRF for a wastewater collection system improvement project; and the Town of Spring Lake (Cumberland County) received a $1,554,750 loan from the DWSRF for a drinking water system improvement project and a $3,442,550 loan from the CWSRF for a sewer system improvement project. A complete list of funded projects is available on the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) website.
Funding sources for this round include: the Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure (CDBG-I) program, which provides grants to areas meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's low- and moderate-income thresholds, available to non-entitlement municipalities and counties, with up to $3 million per applicant every three years; the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRFs), which offer low-interest loans (including potentially partially forgivable loans) for drinking water and wastewater projects; the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the IIJA Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) Fund, and the IIJA Lead Service Line Replacement Fund. The Division of Water Infrastructure (DWI) will launch a new funding application cycle in fall 2026, with applications opening on August 4 and closing at 5:00 p.m. on September 30, 2026. The division will hold in-person training sessions in Hickory, Asheville, Research Triangle Park/Durham, and Kingston from August 4 to August 12, with a virtual training option via Webex also available on August 10.
