Mitigating flood risk in an underserved community.
Sawmills, North Carolina: $189,000
This is a Justice40 project.
History
Sawmills is a small community in western North Carolina. Sawmills is in the southern portion of Caldwell County. Sawmills is mainly a residential community; there is a substantial mix of industry and commercial uses. Furniture and textiles are the primary industrial bases. Sawmills is 6.3 square miles and is approximately 10 miles northwest of Hickory, North Carolina.
Project Description
The project involves raising the South Caldwell Sewer Pump Station to 2 feet above the Base Flood Elevation. A new control panel would be installed on an elevated platform to lessen the impacts of high water during flooding events, and the existing pump station would be raised by 2 feet above the existing 100-year flood level. The road into the pump station will also be raised above Base Flood Elevation. The town of Sawmills partners with the city of Lenoir to treat its wastewater, which is transferred to the city’s wastewater treatment plant through a series of pump stations. The town will also partner with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the Western Piedmont Council of Governments.