Press release
A project aimed at conducting a water asset inventory and assessment in the Town of Powellsville, in Bertie County, is among 145 projects in 66 counties across the state receiving funds for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
The governor’s office announced the awarding of more than $472 million in funding in a press release issued Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.
The awards will help cities, towns and counties strengthen infrastructure to better withstand future storms, improve existing drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, reduce contamination by forever chemicals, and identify and replace lead pipes.
“Families and businesses expect and deserve safe water when they turn on the tap,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “The funded projects will strengthen aging drinking water and wastewater systems and will support healthy communities and a growing economy.”
Other projects receiving funds that are in the Albemarle Observer’s coverage area include:
- The Town of Murfreesboro (Hertford County) received $2,417,386 for a Main Street waterline replacement.
- The Town of Hamilton (Martin County) received $1,002,340 to work on Well No. 3.
- The Town of Jamesville (Martin County) received $4,802,500 for Phase II of a project to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant.
- The Town of Parmele (Martin County) received $2 million for fire hydrant and metering improvements.
Projects near the Albemarle Observer’s coverage area include:
- The Town of Woodland (Northampton County) will receive $3 million in Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure funds for its Wastewater Treatment Plant Rehabilitation Project.
- The Town of Grifton (Pitt County) will receive a $5.98 million Viable Utility Reserve grant to replace five wastewater pump stations.
- The Town of Aurora (Beaufort County) will receive $5,386,364 for downtown sewer and water lines and well rehabilitation.
- Beaufort County received $200,000 for the Beaufort County Utility Partnership.
- The Town of Chocowinity (Beaufort County) receive $3 million for water treatment plant and waste discharge improvements.
A list of all projects selected for funding is available on the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) website.
NC DEQ’s Division of Water Infrastructure reviewed 198 eligible applications, which requested a total of $1.89 billion. The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved the awards during its Feb. 18 meeting. The authority is an independent body with primary responsibility for awarding federal and state funding for water infrastructure projects.
Funding this round came from:
- The State Revolving Funds (SRFs), which provide low-interest loans (including loans that may be partially forgiven) for drinking water and wastewater projects.
- The SRF Supplemental Appropriations for Hurricanes Helene and Milton and Hawai’i Wildfires (SRF Helene) funding, which provides principal forgiveness and zero-interest loans for eligible drinking water, wastewater and septic systems for Hurricane Helene-damaged communities.
- The Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure (CDBG-I) program, which provides grants to fund projects in areas that meet the U.S. Housing and Urban Development low- to moderate-income threshold.
- The State Reserve Program for construction projects, in which grant funding is prioritized for applicants from counties that have populations of less than 300,000 and that were most damaged by Hurricane Helene.
- The state Viable Utility Reserve grant funding for drinking water and wastewater projects that move a local government unit designated as distressed toward viability. This includes grant funding for Asset Inventory and Assessment grants and Merger/Regionalization Feasibility grants.
The Division of Water Infrastructure’s spring 2026 funding round began Feb. 23. Applications are due by 5 p.m. April 30, 2026.
The Division of Water Infrastructure will conduct in-person funding application training for the spring 2026 funding round Feb. 23 through March 4 at three locations: Hickory, Greenville, and Research Triangle Park/Durham. A virtual option via Webex will also be available on March 4, and a recording of the training will be posted on the division’s application training web page.
March 2 is the final application deadline for funds for Helene drinking water, wastewater and septic system resiliency projects.