Town, county get federal funds for water projects

By JEFFREY SIMMONS/Staff

The money flowed in to get the water flowing out.
Late last week, federal officials announced that Wythe County and the town of Wytheville had received almost $12 million in stimulus dollars to install new water lines, and build and upgrade water tanks.
“The allocation of $11.8 million in federal funds announced today represents a significant federal investment in the future of Wythe County,” U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher said in a prepared release. “…These two projects will enable more business and residential growth in Wythe County.”
Wythe County’s more than $5 million share of the taxpayer-funded grant and low-interest loan will bring public water to 178 new customers between Wytheville and Rural Retreat along U.S. 11.
According to Wythe County Administrator Cellell Dalton, the line will run west from the bridges over Reed Creek to the area around St. Paul Lane.
Most residents along the road rely on wells, some of which have had problems in the past, including contamination, Dalton said.
The project, which will likely start later this year, will also include a new 750,000-gallon water storage tank on Pine Ridge north of Interstate 81.
Two existing tanks on Pine Ridge, which are owned by the town of Wytheville, will get a facelift thanks to the approximately $6.4 million in stimulus funding announced last week for the town.
Town Manager Wayne Sutherland said the tanks will be painted on the outside and refurbished on the inside with the money. The town also plans to install a new larger-capacity 20-inch line that will run down Main Street and eventually connect with another large line near Edgemont Center, Sutherland said.
“It increases our capabilities to transport water,” he said.
With the upgrades, which should probably start around September, the town’s water treatment plant along Reed Creek will be able to effectively back up the county’s plant at Austinville and vice versa. The town and county are part of a larger regional water authority that also includes Carroll County.
According to Boucher, the town’s project should address concerns about the Reed Creek plant’s age and the vulnerability of the waterway that supplies it. 
Sutherland said the town is working on how to deal with construction that will go through the heart of downtown.
“We’ve got to control that carefully,” he said.
Boucher said the projects are important to the region’s future.
“Adequate and reliable public water service is essential to maintaining Southwest Virginia’s excellent quality of life and to achieving our economic development goals for the region,” Boucher said in the press release. “Today’s announcement of $11.8 million for Wythe County represents a major step in our ongoing work to expand water systems throughout the region.”
Jeffrey Simmons can be reached at 228-8811 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).