Stanly County staff seeks grants to improve Richfield sewer system

Published 6:21 pm Tuesday, April 21, 2020

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Richfield’s sewer system may get some needed upgrades should grant funds come in after a resolution passed by the Stanly County Board of Commissioners at its meeting Monday night.

The board adopted a resolution to seek funds from both the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act to make improvements on the Richfield sewer system.

County Manager Andy Lucas said the system would get improvement on its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system which allows users to determine electronically what is in the system as well as reporting on problems like pump outages.

Some repairs near the airport to reduce inflow and infiltration into the system would help reduce the bill the county pays to the City of Albemarle for the system’s operation, Lucas said.

“It’s not just sewer flow. It’s groundwater or rainwater which is flowing in,” Lucas said. “We’re going to try and navigate to figure out where some of those exact infiltration issues are.”

Approval of the resolution would mean staff would have the option of accepting or declining the grant funding of 50 percent of the project’s estimate.

Chairman Matthew Swain asked if the application for the grants cost any money, to which Lucas said it did not.

Commissioner Zack Almond made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Mike Barbee and the resolution passed unanimously.

Contact Charles Curcio at charles.curcio@stanlynewspress.com, or call 704-983-1361.

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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