Valdese's Water Projects: Progress and Plans for a sustainable Future

The proposed multi-million-dollar Valdese-Lenoir water project remains two years out, but progress is being made.

This interconnection will link the City of Lenoir and the Town of Valdese as regional water suppliers through nearly four miles of 20-inch water transmission main under Lake Rhodhiss in Valdese.

Slated for years 2026 and 2027, this capital improvement project is in the developing and design phase, Mayor Charlie Watts said. The municipal consulting firm, McGill & Associates, is creating a project outline for future groundwork. The next step in this project is finalizing the information gathered by the firm.

“This project will not be done overnight, it’ll take a couple of years to complete,” Watts said.

In September 2023, the state approved funding for the project, estimated to cost $23-26 million. The funding will be split between the two water systems for upgrading their facilities and constructing the transmission line. The month after the project’s funding, Valdese contracted McGill & Associates for engineering services for improving their water treatment plant.

The town also received $7 million from the N.C. Division of Water Infrastructure for the upgrades to the plant’s various infrastructures and miscellaneous site work. It will not need to be repaid since it is a state appropriation.

Establishing this interconnection is a win-win for both systems. Either party can assist the other if an issue arises.

“If either town has a catastrophic failure, there is a backup plan,” Watts said. “The big plus is redundancy.”

CLINE AVENUE PUMP STATION

In other Valdese infrastructure news, the town has asked the Local Government Commission (LGC) to approve a $1,488,150 loan from the State Revolving Fund to replace the water/sewer Cline Avenue basin and pump station piping.

The replacement will be a “new larger diameter force main piping and a new valve vault with check valves and fittings sized to carry more flow with less friction loss,” according to the request.

Additionally, the project is highly needed so the town can rehabilitate the failing portions of the collection system and repair manholes in the 100-year floodplain.

The council approved a contract with Carolina Grading & Utilities during its regular meeting in May 2024.

Assistant Manager/CFO Bo Weichel confirmed that the LGC approved the loan, meaning the contractor can now proceed with their work. Depending on the contractor’s schedule, this will dictate when they start the project.