Town of Iaeger targeted to get $1.5 million for septic system

IAEGER — A $1.5 million federal grant, part of $36.2 million going to West Virginia, is a starting point for bringing public sewer service to a McDowell County community and the surrounding area.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $36.2 million to West Virginia from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that communities can use to upgrade essential water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure that protects public health and treasured water bodies, according to EPA officials.

Nearly half of the funding, which comes through this year’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans helping underserved communities across America invest in water infrastructure, while creating good-paying jobs.

The Town of Iaeger in McDowell County is targeted to receive $1.5 million CWSRF-BIL- funding to eliminate 118 failing septic systems.

“We don’t have a sewer system here,” Mayor Joe Ford said Thursday. “This is a start-up system for us.”

Residents in Iaeger and the surrounding community have had to rely on measures their grandparents used such as running sewer lines to the Tug Fork River, he said.

The $1.5 million EPA grant will pay for just part of the sewer project; its overall cost is close to $8 million, Ford said. The town is working with the Region I Planning and Development Council on the project along with the McDowell County Public Service District, and the hope is to start looking for bids by April.

Having sewer infrastructure will help bring new businesses to Iaeger, Ford said, adding that the project will bring service to about half the town.

“It sounds like a lot, but it will not take care of all of Iaeger,” he stated about the $1.5 million grant. “This will take care of getting it started, getting everything going.”

Nearly half of the funding going to West Virginia, which comes through this year’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans helping underserved communities across America invest in water infrastructure, while creating good-paying jobs, federal officials said.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering an unprecedented investment in America that will revitalize essential water and wastewater infrastructure across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Not only will these funds expand access to clean water and safeguard the environment, but more underserved communities that have been left behind for far too long will be able to access them.”

The $36.2 million for West Virginia is part of the $2.4 billion announced as part of the second wave of funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to invest in America. In May 2022, EPA announced the initial allotment of $1.9 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to states, Tribes and territories through the CWSRF. That money is supporting hundreds of critical water infrastructure projects around the country.

“The Clean Water State Revolving Fund program is a powerful partnership between EPA and the states,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “West Virginia communities can use this additional funding to make a difference with water infrastructure projects that protect public health, ecosystems and waterways throughout the state.”

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes over $50 billion available for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements across the country between FY2022 and FY2026. EPA is committed to ensuring every community has access to this historic investment and has centralized increasing investment in disadvantaged communities within its implementation.

“Every West Virginian deserves clean water to drink and fresh air to breathe. I fought to include funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to deliver critical resources to communities like West Virginia, and I am pleased the EPA is investing more than $35 million in promoting access to clean drinking water across the state,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.. “The funding announced today will also upgrade and improve wastewater and stormwater infrastructure throughout West Virginia, and I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of the investments for years to come. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to protect the health and wellbeing of communities across the Mountain State.”

This investment in water infrastructure is creating jobs while addressing key challenges, including climate change and emerging contaminants like per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law calls for strong collaboration, and EPA continues to work in partnership with states, Tribes, and territories to ensure that communities see the full benefits of this investment, federal officials said.

“Aging water and wastewater systems pose multiple challenges to local communities throughout the United States, including those in West Virginia,” said the EPW Committee Ranking Member, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “When writing the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act in the EPW Committee, which was a key pillar of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we wanted to ensure our states, cities, and towns could make needed upgrades to their core infrastructure systems. The funding announced today will provide West Virginia the flexibility to meet these needs and help maintain affordable, efficient, and safe water and wastewater infrastructure across our great state.”