Governor Stein, Department of Environmental Quality Announce $215 Million for Drinking Water and Wastewater Projects

Today Governor Josh Stein announced that 66 projects in 26 counties across the state will receive more than $215 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved the funding. The majority of the funds awarded - approximately $196 million - goes to communities that experienced significant infrastructure damage from Hurricane Helene.

"People need to have access to clean, reliable water," said Governor Josh Stein. "These investments will help rebuild infrastructure more resilient so families can count on safe water, especially when disaster strikes."

The State Water Infrastructure Authority and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality have now awarded a total of $861 million in federal and state funds to help repair, rebuild, and make more resilient drinking water and wastewater systems that were damaged by Helene. Awards will also help cities, towns, and counties strengthen infrastructure to better withstand future storms and improve existing drinking water and wastewater systems.

"The projects awarded will address some of our state's most pressing current needs: repairing vital water systems that were damaged by Helene to make them less vulnerable to future storms, conducting studies of dangerous forever chemicals such as PFAS, and replacing lead pipes that can cause numerous health issues," said NC Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson. "Every dollar will support the health and economic vitality of our communities."

Over four rounds of funding, beginning in September 2025 and running through its April 15-16 meeting, the State Water Infrastructure Authority has awarded all the federal disaster funds allotted to DEQ's Division of Water Infrastructure through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to repair damage from Helene and strengthen resiliency to future storms.

Projects Awarded include:

• The Town of Black Mountain (Buncombe County) will receive $4,886,922 in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Helene funds for its Drinking Water System Resiliency Improvements Project.
• The Town of Marshall (Madison County) will receive $4,000,000 in Clean Water State Revolving (CWSRF) Helene funds for its Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation Project.
• The City of Morganton (Burke County) will receive $8,052,665 in DWSRF Helene funds for its Drinking Water Resiliency Improvements Project.
• Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority will receive $10,000,000 in DWSRF Helene funds for its Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Resiliency Improvements Project.
• The Town of Lake Lure (Rutherford County) will receive $3,654,813 in CWSRF Helene funds for its New Wastewater Treatment Plant Design and Construction Project and $3,500,000 in CWSRF funds for its Force Main Design and Construction Project.
• The City of Gastonia (Gaston County) will receive $10,000,000 in DWSRF Helene funds for its Drinking Water Supply Resiliency Project.
• The Town of Murphy (Cherokee County) will receive $5,019,828 in CWSRF Helene funds for its Wastewater Resiliency Project.
• Cleveland County Water (Cleveland County) will receive $8,556,070 in DWSRF Helene funds for its Drinking Water System Resiliency Improvements Project.
• The Town of Canton (Haywood County) will receive $3,500,000 in CWSRF Helene funds for its New Wastewater Treatment Plant and Regionalization Project.
• The City of Mount Holly will receive $4,668,200 in DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) funds for its Lead and Copper Waterline Replacement Project.
• Union County will receive $500,000 in DWSRF Emerging Contaminant Pilot Study funds for its Yadkin Water Treatment Plant PFAS Study Project.
• The Town of Spruce Pine (Mitchell County) will receive $5,547,516 in CWSRF Helene funds for its Wastewater Treatment Plant / Collection System Repairs Project.
• The City of Lumberton (Robeson County) will receive $4,851,559 in DWSRF LSLR funds for its Lead Service Line Replacement Phase I Project and $1,000,000 for its Lead Service Line Replacement Phase 5 Project.

A list of all projects selected for funding is available on the NC Department of Environmental Quality website.

Projects are funded from the Supplemental Appropriation for Hurricanes Helene and Milton and Hawai'i Wildfires ("SRF Helene") for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding for Lead Service Line Replacements, the IIJA Emerging Contaminants (EC) Evaluation/Assessment study projects, and the Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure program.

The Division of Water Infrastructure received $1.3 billion in applications for water infrastructure needs following Hurricane Helene. In addition to the projects funded thus far, $655 million in requested Helene-related critical needs remains unfunded.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved the awards during its April 15-16 meeting. The authority is an independent body with primary responsibility for awarding federal and state funding for water infrastructure projects.

Learn more about the Division of Water Infrastructure's funding programs here.

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