FAIRMONT — Thanks to more than $5 million in funding from the federal Agriculture Department, two Marion County infrastructure projects will be made possible next construction season.
The department recently announced that $547 million in loans and grants have been secured for a series of projects to provide safe drinking water and improved wastewater treatment systems for rural towns and communities across the country.
In West Virginia, over $23 million will be distributed.
Within the Kingmill Valley Public Service District, a more than $2.7 million loan will fund upgrades and improvements to a series of galvanized sewer lines.
The Mannington PSD will get a more than $2 million loan and a $1 million grant to construct waterline extensions.
Kingmill Valley PSD was in desperate need of the funds, said Charlie Piercy, chairman of the district’s board of directors.
The district has gone without any major system improvements since the 1980’s, he said.
“This has been a project that we’ve been studying and planning for several years,” he said.
Piercy said the USDA loan will be paid back over a 40-year period.
It will replace old sewer lines that were installed back in the 1930’s and modernize several lift stations. The current system has been in operation since the 1980s. It serves between 1,200 and 1,500 customers in the Pleasant Valley area, which includes the City of Pleasant Valley, Benton’s Ferry, Kingmont and Millersville.
New lines will be installed, many in the Millersville area. The upgrades for eight lift stations are in the planning stage, he said.
When the designs are done, they will be reviewed by the state Public Service Commission.
The board hopes to advertise for bids in early 2009. Construction will start in the middle of 2009 and be finished by the beginning of 2010 if all goes as planned, he said.
Piercy said the project is a necessity not only because of how old the lines are, but also because of environmental issues. He said the area’s growing population also contributes to the need for these upgrades.
“We have reached a point, due to the growth in Pleasant Valley and the age of some of these systems, where we simply have to spend the money to upgrade,” Piercy said.
To pay back the loan, Piercy said the PSD will introduce a rate hike when the project is built. As of right now, the increase may be about one-third of the average bi-monthly customer bill, which is currently around $23. Under the new, estimated rate, the average bill will be about $30, Piercy said.
The Mannington PSD will use its grant and loan to construct waterline extensions to provide public water service to residents currently on private wells. The project is expected to extend service to about 266 households in outlying areas.
E-mail Mallory Panuska at mpanuska@timeswv.com.
