DEQ awards $215M for water projects from Helene damage

On April 16, the State Water Infrastructure Authority and the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) awarded $215 million to fund 66 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across 26 counties. Of this $196 million, has been earmarked for communities that have substantial infrastructure damage as a result of Hurricane Helene. 

“People need to have access to clean, reliable water,” said Gov. Josh Stein in a press release.“These investments will help rebuild infrastructure more resilient so families can count on safe water, especially when disaster strikes.”

All federal disaster funds allocated to NCDEQ’s Division of Water Infrastructure through the US Environmental Protection Agency, earmarked to fund damage repair from Helene and increase resilience for future storms, have been distributed across four funding rounds, starting in September 2025 and concluding at the State Water Infrastructure Authority’s most recent meeting on April 15-16. 

“Rebuilding drinking water and wastewater infrastructure after Hurricane Helene is an important priority, but simply allocating more funding won’t solve the problem,” Joseph Harris, fiscal policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “State leaders must ensure these projects are carefully managed, with clear accountability for how the $215 million is spent.” 

Awarded projects include: 

• $4,886,922 in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Helene funds have been allocated to the Drinking Water System Resiliency Improvements Project in the town of Black Mountain, Buncombe County.
• $4 million in Clean Water State Revolving (CWSR) funds have been allocated to the Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation project in Marshall, Madison County.
• $8,052,665 in DWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to the Drinking Water Resiliency Improvements Project in Morganton in Burke County. 
• $10 million in DWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to the Tuckaseegee Water and Sewer Authority for the Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Resiliency Improvements Project. 
• Lake Lure in Rutherford County has been allocated $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. 
• $10 million in DWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to the Drinking Water Supply Resiliency Project in Gastonia, Gaston County. 
• $5,019,828 in CWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to the Wastewater Resiliency Project in Murphy in Cherokee County. 
• $8,556,070 in DWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to Cleveland County Water for the Drinking Water System Resiliency Improvements Project. 
• $3.5 million in CWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to the New Wastewater Treatment Plant and Regionalization Project in Canton, Haywood County. 
• $4,668,200 in DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) funds have been allocated for the Lead and Copper Waterline Replacement Project in Mount Holly. 
• $500,000 in DWSRF Emerging Contaminant Pilot Study funds have been allocated for the Yadkin Water Treatment Plant PFAS Study Project in Union County. 
• $5,547,516 in CWSRF Helene funds have been allocated to the Wastewater Treatment Plant/Collection System Repairs Project in Spruce Pine, Mitchell County. 
• Lumberton in Robeson County has been allocated $4,851,559 in DWSRF LSLR funds for its Lead Service Line Replacement Phase I Project and $1 million for its Lead Service Line Replacement Phase 5 Project. 

Last Summer, officials from Lake Lure, Black Mountain, and Spruce Pine told the Carolina Journal that wastewater treatment and wastewater management were among projects being prioritized in the post-Helene recovery process. 

At the time, Black Mountain also received a $3 million zero-interest loan from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a water system and a substantial stormwater project. 

Spruce Pine officials told Carolina Journal that numerous grants had been pushed to the General Assembly and approved, including NCDEQ funding. 

A total of $861 million in state and federal funds has been awarded by the State Infrastructure Water Authority and NCDEQ to repair, rebuild, and increase the resiliency of drinking and wastewater systems damaged by Hurricane Helene. 

“DEQ awards $215M for water projects from Helene damage” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.