North Carolina's State Water Infrastructure Authority (SWIA) has approved more than $244 million for 45 drinking water and wastewater projects across 28 counties, Governor Josh Stein announced. The funding, cleared during the authority's July 15 meeting in Raleigh, includes $44 million directed to western North Carolina to continue recovery from Hurricane Helene.
The awards will help cities, towns, and counties strengthen infrastructure against future storms, upgrade ageing drinking water and wastewater systems, address forever chemicals contamination, and replace lead pipes. Funding came from several sources, including the Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure programme, the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and multiple streams under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Among the largest awards, the City of Graham in Alamance County will receive a $26.6 million loan for its water treatment plant reliability project, while the City of Hendersonville in Henderson County was granted $35 million to mitigate flooding at its wastewater treatment facility. The Division of Water Infrastructure reviewed 123 applications requesting a combined $1.6 billion, more than six times the amount awarded.
“We are working to ensure every North Carolinian has clean, reliable water every time they turn on their tap,” said Governor Stein. “These new projects will make towns’ water systems more resilient, protect residents from forever chemicals, and make North Carolina’s communities safer, stronger, and healthier for years to come.”
The $44 million allocated to western counties helped push the state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) past a cumulative $1 billion in water infrastructure and resilience funding awarded since Hurricane Helene struck the region in 2024, a milestone Stein highlighted days later during a visit to storm-hit Burnsville. DEQ says 98% of water systems damaged by the storm have now been restored, though officials estimate more than $758 million in needs remain unmet.
The next funding round opens August 4, with applications due by September 30.
