March 20, 2008 issue
Blowing Rock Could Receive $300,000 to Help Alleviate Water Woes
Story by Anna Oakes
Gov. Mike Easley on Monday announced that the Town of Blowing Rock is among six western North Carolina communities eligible for a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help expand public water supplies.
“These communities are among the most vulnerable in our state and could run out of water if the drought continues into the summer,” Easley said in a press release.
Easley recommended that the ARC grant $300,000 to Blowing Rock to aid in a project to connect its water system with that of the Town of Boone—a project that Blowing Rock’s engineering firm has estimated around $3.5 to $4 million, Blowing Rock Town Manager Scott Hildebran said.
Boone has access to a larger water source and recently signed a water connection agreement with Appalachian State University. The grant would create a regional system that all three entities could use during times of crisis, the press release said.
The ARC is a federal-state partnership that provides economic and social support to a 13-state region along the Appalachian Mountains. It receives an annual allocation from Congress that it distributes based on recommendations from state governments.
State Sen. Steve Goss, a co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Agricultural Drought Response, and Rep. Cullie Tarleton, a member of the committee, each worked in support of the grant.
Hildebran said the project calls for 26,000 feet of line. He said the town is seeking additional grants to help foot the $3.5 to $4 million cost of the project.
The connection of the Boone and Blowing Rock water systems is intended for emergency situations, including—but not limited to—drought, he said. The state has encouraged communities to connect their water systems for several years now, he said, but the terrain and elevation changes make that task more difficult in the mountains.
For now, Hildebran emphasized, the connection will not be used to extend public water to county locations, although it could be a possibility in the future.
Boone Town Manager Greg Young said, “The primary benefit for having this interconnect is for emergency purposes. Water could travel either way and it would be a great benefit for emergencies.”
Other communities that the governor recommended for grants are Lenoir, $300,000; Mars Hill, $300,000; Marshall; $300,000; Tryon, $300,000 and Valdese, $80,000.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
