Franklin County Awarded Funding for I-85 Sewer Line Project

After several years of planning and applying for funding, Franklin County will finally be receiving federal dollars to pay for a planned sewer line project along Interstate 85.

The County Board of Commissioners held a work session last week to approve a letter of conditions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that spells out the conditions of a loan/grant package.

County administrator John Phillips said the County will be receiving about $3-million in funding from the federal government for the project.

 “The funding package from USDA consists of a loan amount of just over $2-million and a grant amount of just over $1-million,” Phillips said. “The loan amount is a 40-year loan at a 2.5% interest rate.”

The County had applied for the USDA grant/loan package last year, but approval had been stalled in Washington.

Now that the package has been approved at the federal and county level, a special presentment ceremony is taking place this afternoon in Carnesville. Today’s presentation takes place at noon at Carnesville City Hall.

Begun four years ago, the county has been actively working on the design of the sewer system and on securing funding to pay for the new sewer line with the help of the engineering firm of Hulsey McCormick & Wallace, Inc. in Greenville, SC.

The original cost of the project was $13.5 million which included building a new wastewater treatment plant, but the USDA kicked the application back last last year saying it was too large a project.

After a redesign, Phillips said, now the total estimated cost of the project is $6.3 million. Phillips said the City of Carnesville has committed $200,000, IBA has agreed to $500,000.  The rest of the funding, he said, will come out of the county’s water/sewer fund.

The new sewer line will extend along I-85 from the 160 Exit at SR51 to the 166 Exit at SR106 and is expected to attract new industry into Franklin County.  Plans for the project also involve new lift stations as well as a totally new wastewater treatment plant that will be built in the City of Carnesville.

“It’s actually ajoint project between Franklin County and the City of Carnesville,” Phillips said. “It will eliminate both the Franklin County and Carnesville waste water treatment plants and we will build one treatment plant for both in the City of Carnesville.”  

Phillips said even with the new USDA monies, it will be some time before work begins.

“What this does is allow us to move forward with finalizing the plans,” he said. “Of course, there are still approvals needed at the state level and we still have to work out a final intergovernmental agreement between the County and the City of Carnesville.”

Phillips said it will likely be a year to 18-months before construction on the new sewer line begins.