North Carolina has awarded $204 million in funding for 48 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across 27 counties. The funds will support upgrades to aging systems, PFAS contaminant removal, lead service line replacement, and storm resilience.
The funding comes from the State Revolving Funds, including allocations from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). These funds provide low-interest loans, some with partial forgiveness, for drinking water and wastewater improvements. The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved the projects during its July 16 meeting, following a review of 133 eligible applications totaling $1.57 billion in requests.
Notable awards include:
- $20.5 million to the Fayetteville Public Works Commission (Cumberland County) for a GAC facility at the P.O. Hoffer / Glenville Lake Water Treatment Plant (IIJA Emerging Contaminants)
- $13.7 million to the City of Lexington (Davidson County) for solids handling improvements at its regional wastewater treatment plant
- $10.7 million to the City of Henderson (Vance County) for the Sandy Creek Pump Station and Force Main
- $10 million to the Town of Warrenton (Warren County) for Phase IV Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades
- $9.2 million to the Town of Bryson City (Swain County) for wastewater treatment plant improvements
- $8.2 million to the Town of Waynesville (Haywood County) for the Little Champion Gravity Sewer and Pump Station
- $7.3 million to the City of Sanford (Lee County) for Dry Creek Basin Sewer Rehabilitation and $2 million for lead service line inventories
- $6.3 million to the Town of River Bend (Craven County) for Phase II drinking water improvements
- $5.6 million to the City of Lenoir (Caldwell County) for wastewater basin improvements and $1 million for lead service line inventory
- $5.5 million to Carolina Water Service, Inc. for six PFAS and lead pipe-related projects across four counties
- $4.9 million to the Pfeiffer-North Stanly Water Association (Stanly County) for waterline replacements
The Division of Water Infrastructure will open its Fall 2025 funding round on July 29, with applications due by September 30. It will also accept year-round applications for Hurricane Helene supplemental funding to support resilience efforts in impacted western North Carolina communities.