Daniel Prince
Grant will help the city assess the condition of Lockhart's and Carlisle's water and sewer systems
The City of Union is one of the first two recipients of a new type of grant from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority. The RIA announced grant assistance approval for 27 projects across the state, totaling more than $13 million, and benefitting more than 39,000 customers in 20 counties across the state.
The City of Union and the Town of Ridgeland have projects that are part of the inaugural RIA planning grant program. The city will receive a $100,000 planning grant to help assess the Lockhart and Carlisle water and sewer systems. The RIA said the grants support utilities planning long-term viability through regional solutions. Applicants could request grant funds to assess the condition of one or more systems and evaluate regionally viable alternatives.
WBCU News spoke to City Administrator Joe Nichols about the grant the city is receiving:
(audio below story)
Nichols said the grant won’t cover the full cost of the engineering study, but it will help. They will be doing spot checks of the sewer systems in the towns and inspecting the condition of the piping and the elevated tanks. He said the planning grant will be useful to the towns in applying for future grants dealing with water and sewer infrastructure.