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Local News
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 10:44 AM
Incentives given to new Nash water customers By Antonio Velarde | Daily Times Staff Writer With the first two phases of construction set to begin Wednesday on a new central water system for unincorporated parts of Nash County, residents of the two areas to be serviced can save money if they connect today. The central water system project, to be constructed in four phases, will deliver water to approximately 2,200 customers living in southern Nash County who would normally rely on well water, said Nash County Utilities Director Derek Hawkes. Phase I of the project, which will add more than 500 residences, will serve the area west of Sharpsburg, including the main part of the Tar River Reservoir area and N.C. 58 south of I-95. Phase 2, which will add 340 residences, will serve the area from the intersection of N.C. 97 and N.C. 58 west through and including I-95. It will also serve N.C. 58 north of I-95 and Sandy Cross Road west of N.C. 58. Hawkes said residents of these two areas who call the county by 5 p.m. today will pay $150 and $200, depending if the connection is a 3/4-inch or 1-inch meter and service tap. Residents who hook up Wednesday will pay $500 and $700 for connection to a 3/4-inch and 1-inch meter. After construction ends on the project, the normal rate will be $1,300 and $1,860. Hawkes said residents using well water in the overall area to be serviced by the system are exposed to iron manganese, which causes water discoloration, as well as health risks such as arsenic and lead, making the system especially beneficial. He added that the water system, which will be administered by the county, could help with economic development and allow fire hydrants to be installed in the areas to be serviced. "So there's a lot of benefit for the county water," Hawkes said. The overall project, which will cost about $18.7 million, was the result of a December bond referendum where voters let the county borrow $23 million for construction of the water system, Hawkes said. The total project cost ended up being less than the original estimate, with the first three phases already having been fully funded and a third coming from federal and state grants. The first three phases will cost about $12.7 million, a third of which is from federal and state grants, and the rest coming from low-interest loans. Phase III of the project, which will serve at least 380 customers, will service the area south of Nashville, southwest of Rocky Mount and then the area north of the Tar River Reservoir including Westmount Drive. Phases I and II of the project will be operational by April 2009, Hawkes said. Phase III being likely finished by the end of 2009. To sign up for water service, call (252)462-2436. avelarde@wilsontimes.com | 265-7863
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