by Lisa Schauer
Warm Springs Public Service District is included in a $23 million statewide funding package announced by lawmakers on December 16.
According to a news release from the office of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, (R-W.Va.), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will fund $23,367,889 in loans and grants for rural housing and community development projects across West Virginia.
Included in the USDA funding for Morgan County is $4,249,000 for a Warm Springs Public Service District inflow and infiltration (I&I) project. Of that, $2,900,000 in funding will be in the form of a loan and $1,349,000 will be a grant.
Capito and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and made the announcement jointly.
“This rural development investment will be used to correct excessive inflow and infiltration of the collection and transmission system. The project will include removal and replacement or repair of sewer lines and manholes in some locations. A new 400-kilowatt diesel generator with a 600-ampere automatic transfer switch will also be installed,” according to Capito’s news release.
Replacement or repair of main sewer lines and manholes will greatly reduce the amount of groundwater entering the collection system and provide a capacity for future expansion, according to Thrasher Engineering. The Warm Springs PSD board unanimously approved the project back in March, 2018.
