Protecting water supply for a rapidly growing and diverse community.
Salisbury, North Carolina: $22.5 Million
This is a Justice40 project.
History
The Salisbury-Rowan Utilities Department provides water and wastewater services to residential and business customers in the municipalities of Salisbury, Granite Quarry, Spencer, East Spencer, China Grove, Rockwell and some unincorporated areas within Rowan County in North Carolina. Its mission is to provide quality water and wastewater services to the region, protect the local environment, promote public health and improve the quality of life.
Project Description
The Salisbury-Rowan Utilities Department has two raw water intakes and one pump station on Hannah Ferry Road at the confluence of the Yadkin River and South Yadkin River. The pump station has been subject to flooding in the past, and flooding has occurred more frequently in the last several years. The project plans to utilize various partners including the multiple communities that rely on potable water produced by Salisbury-Rowan Utilities. The Rowan County United Way has indicated they also intend to be a partner for the Raw Water Intake Resilience Project along with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Flooding is expected to worsen with the anticipated impacts of climate change. To provide a reliable water supply during storm events, the pump station needs to be relocated to where it can be accessed during storm events and the operating floor can be above the 0.1 annual exceedance probability flood elevation. A new combined tower intake structure and pump station will be constructed in the Yadkin River which will allow for a new bridge to accommodate vehicle access. The proposed project will completely remove the current access hazards and pump station flooding hazards from storm events for up to and potentially beyond the 100-year. Resilience for the community occurs by providing a more reliable supply of potable water to disadvantaged residents, hospitals, the power company and community service providers.