Today, Governor Roy Cooper highlighted the $13.2 million water infrastructure grant that Sampson County is receiving to provide water system connections for the community of Ivanhoe.
“All North Carolinians deserve safe and clean drinking water,” said Governor Cooper. “This investment will help families and business owners in Ivanhoe have confidence that this community will continue to grow and thrive.”
“DEQ created a funding opportunity, but it was the residents of Ivanhoe who saw how this grant could change their lives and organized to petition the county to apply,” said NC Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser. “This is a terrific example of the community and the county working together to achieve transformative change.”
“Sampson County has worked for years to develop our water system, despite having been told that it simply couldn’t be done. That’s the hallmark of our great county - making the seemingly impossible, possible,” said Sampson County Commission Chairperson Sue Lee. “We owe a debt of gratitude to those commissioners who years ago had the courage to pursue a countywide water system, to those throughout the years who have endeavored to develop it, and certainly the State of North Carolina for their generous funding that enables us to now expand it to serve the citizens of Ivanhoe.”
“One of the reasons I wanted to serve as a County Commissioner is to do my part to address the great needs of small communities such as Ivanhoe,” said Sampson County Commissioner Lethia Lee. “We are so grateful for the generosity of the State, we are grateful for the work of our County staff and our engineers to design this system, but most importantly, we are grateful for the strength, resilience and determination of the Ivanhoe residents who never gave up hope that we could make it happen.”
Currently, Ivanhoe does not have a water distribution system. This investment will provide Sampson County with $13,283,000 to design and construct a new public water supply system in the Ivanhoe area. The water supply system will create 40 miles of new water lines, connect over 350 homes and includes the connection fees for each home.
On average, North Carolina invests about $200 million annually in the state’s water infrastructure. North Carolina will be investing $2.3 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure in communities across the state.
In July, the Governor announced $789.4 million in water and wastewater infrastructure funding to help pay for 385 projects statewide, including 140 construction projects. To date, 86 counties are receiving funds to upgrade their water infrastructure. The funding comes from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, state reserve funds and state budget allocations.
The application period for the next round of funding for water and wastewater infrastructure projects, which will include the first ARPA stormwater funding, is open now through September 30.
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