Infrastructure Story Archives - Page 2 of 19 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Rural Infrastructure, Business Projects Receive $5.8 Million In Federal Funds

Eight projects seeking to bolster infrastructure and business in rural West Virginia will receive new federal funding through a $5.8 million budget allocated by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The projects take part in the USDA Rural Development program, which offers grants and loans to projects bolstering economic development and public services.

In a press release Tuesday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the new funding would play an important role in strengthening the West Virginia economy.

“Investing in our communities is essential for economic development and for creating good-paying jobs,” he said.

The following projects received new loan and/or grant funding through the USDA:

Town of Triadelphia: $1,600,000 to upgrade a sewer collection system.
Town of Wardensville: $1,100,00 to improve wastewater services.
Wayne County Building Commission: $1,087,000 to renovate a courtroom in the Wayne County Courthouse.
Claywood Park Public Service: $940,000 to upgrade water lines in rural Wood County.
Mason County Public Service District: $814,000 to improve sewer services.
Brunetti’s Italian Bakery: $150,753 to buy and install a 167-kilowatt array.
Rural Action: $78,000 to encourage recycling and composting efficiency.
Woodlands Community Lenders: $51,005 for microloans and assistance to entrepreneurs in rural Randolph, Barbour and Tucker counties.

New $3 Million Water Treatment Plant Slated For Berkeley County

Residents of Bunker Hill, an unincorporated community of Berkeley County, are slated to receive a new $3 million water pump through the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Berkeley County will soon receive a new water treatment plant, following a $3 million investment from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The new plant will service the unincorporated community of Bunker Hill. The current treatment plant there is 65 years old.

The Berkeley County Public Service Water District, which oversees the plant, has gained 4,000 new users in the last four years.

With West Virginia’s water infrastructure facing long-running issues tied to age and decreased funding, state officials have invested in water system upgrades for local communities in recent years.

This year alone, tens of millions of dollars have gone toward water projects across the state. The latest round of funding follows a federal spending request from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

In a press release Tuesday, Capito said she hoped the project would support population growth in the Eastern Panhandle county.

“As communities in Berkeley County continue to grow and develop, the need for additional clean water infrastructure is critical,” she said. “This funding is a step in the process of directing the resources that these communities need to provide clean water to the growing number of residents and businesses in the area.”

State Water Agency Invests $20 Million In Infrastructure Projects

The West Virginia Water Development Authority announced Wednesday that it would invest $20 million in water, wastewater and sewage infrastructure upgrades across the state.

The agency that oversees West Virginia’s water infrastructure, the Water Development Authority (WDA), announced Wednesday it would invest nearly $20 million in water system improvements across the state.

The new round of funding will aid 10 water, wastewater and sewage infrastructure projects in West Virginia. For years, water systems in the state have struggled due to aging infrastructure and decreased funding.

The funds come from the state’s Economic Enhancement Grant Fund, which has approved $400 million in projects since its creation in April 2022.

The following projects will receive support through the new round of WDA funding:

Morgantown Utility Board, Monongalia County: $6,750,000 to renovate a wastewater treatment plant and a lift station to increase overall capacity.
Greenbrier County Public Service District #2, Greenbrier County: $3,527,000 to extend water service to about 360 new users in rural towns.
Hancock County Public Service District, Hancock County: $3,449,014 5o upgrade sewer infrastructure.
Putnam County Commission, Putnam County: $1,841,175 to provide potable water to the community of Custer Ridge.
Cottageville Public Service District, Jackson County: $1,350,000 to extend water lines to an industrial site in the town of Millwood.
Clarksburg Sewer Board, Harrison County: $1,000,000 to separate storm sewers.
Pineville, Wyoming County: $980,000 to upgrade water system.
Midland Public Service District, Randolph County: $365,000 to build two new tanks that store water.
Paden City, Tyler and Wetzel counties: $310,000 to replace water lines to address infiltration issues.
Spencer Waterworks, Roane County: $300,000 to replace a pump station.

Revitalization Of Communities Is EPA’s Focus In State, Ortiz Says

Adam Ortiz, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator for Region 3, says the EPA has invested half a billion dollars in West Virginia during the Biden presidency.

State and local environmental advocates welcomed a special guest to the Capitol Tuesday for E-Day.

Adam Ortiz, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator for Region 3, which includes West Virginia, came to the Capitol to speak to lawmakers and advocacy groups.

Ortiz says the EPA has invested half a billion dollars in West Virginia during the Biden presidency. That money has gone to improving water and wastewater systems and cleaning up abandoned coal mines and industrial sites.

“It’s not just cleaning up the stuff in the past but preparing this infrastructure for the future. So, it’s hard to attract a hotel to a community if you don’t have strong water systems, both drinking water and wastewater. So, we’re partnering with localities partnering with the state because we want to help West Virginia open its next chapter revitalization and you know, cleaning up the old stuff as part of that process.”

Ortiz says West Virginia has the infrastructure and the workforce to support its economic future. He says the EPA’s role is to help the state clean up the legacy pollution of its historical mining and industry.

“So our focus at EPA working with the state is on revitalization, taking a lot of these abandoned mine areas, as well as brownfields. And it wasn’t just coal production here, but also lots of chemicals and companies that are long gone. And often these sites, these properties are right in the middle of, you know, great old towns and cities, they’re connected to the water, they’re connected to the rail. So our job is to help the state clean them up and get them back online economically.”

Ortiz also praised the young people who came to the Capitol to speak out on environmental issues and share their ideas with lawmakers.

“So we’re really cheering on the young people, the universities and the schools for their environmental programs, because they’re going to have the baton before too long.”

W.Va. Water Systems To Receive $9.3 Million For Upgrades

Water and wastewater services in five West Virginia counties will soon receive upgrades through a new round of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Water and wastewater services in five West Virginia counties will soon receive upgrades through a new round of federal funding.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Friday that it would provide $9,253,000 to water projects in Hardy, Mason, Monroe, Ohio and Wood counties.

The new funding follows an allocation of $3,229,000 to water infrastructure projects in Marion and Jackson counties last month from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The USDA funds will contribute to a variety of county-level projects, including sewer system, waterline and wastewater treatment plant improvements.

Federal agencies have invested millions of dollars in West Virginia water systems in recent years. These funds have aimed to address water system issues tied to aging infrastructure and funding decline.

The USDA funding was partially made possible through a 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which has allocated resources toward regional infrastructure projects across the nation.

In a press release Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., voiced his support for the new funding, as well as the federal government’s renewed support for infrastructure in West Virginia.

“Investing in our communities means long-term economic development that creates and supports good-paying jobs,” he said.

The following West Virginia water projects will receive support through the new round of funding:

Red Sulphur Public Service District: $4,800,000 to extend a waterline to more than 80 new customers.
Town of Triadelphia: $1,600,000 to upgrade the sewer system.
Town of Wardensville: $1,100,000 to upgrade wastewater treatment and lift stations.
Claywood Park Public Service District: $940,000 to upgrade waterlines.
Mason County Public Service District: $814,000 to upgrade the sewer system.

Federal Funds Will Help Redesign Monongalia Highway Interchange

A transportation project in Monongalia County will receive millions of dollars in federal funds.

The Monongalia County Commission will receive more than $50 million to redesign Exit 155 on Interstate 79. The project has multiple components including replacing I-79 bridges over Chaplin Hill Road, reconstructing the exit 155 interchange, west bound I-79 flyover reconstruction, and a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Star City bridge and the regional rail-to-trail network.

The redesign hopes to address several issues including the intersection’s higher than average crash rate, addressing a freight bottleneck, improving access to a job training center for individuals with disabilities, and reconnecting communities separated by I-79 just outside of Morgantown.

The project will also provide a new connection to the 48-mile rail-to-trail network that serves the region.

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) Program provides funding for large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility or safety benefits.