Governor Josh Stein has announced that more than $472 million will be distributed to 145 projects in 66 counties across North Carolina for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. The funding aims to help local governments upgrade their systems to better withstand future storms, address contamination issues, and replace lead pipes.
“After Hurricane Helene, tens of thousands of North Carolinians were without access to clean and reliable water for weeks. Upgrading our state’s aging water infrastructure must be a priority,” said Governor Josh Stein. “These investments will make our infrastructure more resilient in the face of future severe weather or disasters and improve access to clean drinking water for North Carolinians across the state.”
“Families and businesses expect and deserve safe water when they turn on the tap,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “The funded projects will strengthen aging drinking water and wastewater systems and will support healthy communities and a growing economy.”
Some notable projects receiving funds include $17.8 million for Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, $33 million for Goldsboro’s PFAS treatment project, $10 million for Newland’s Drinking Water System Resiliency Improvement, and $1.3 million for Winston-Salem’s Lead Service Line Replacement.
The Division of Water Infrastructure at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) reviewed 198 eligible applications totaling nearly $1.89 billion in requests. Awards were approved by the State Water Infrastructure Authority during its February 18 meeting.
Funding sources include State Revolving Funds (SRFs), which offer low-interest loans with possible forgiveness; SRF Supplemental Appropriations tied to disaster recovery; Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure (CDBG-I) grants for qualifying areas; State Reserve Program grants targeting smaller counties impacted by Hurricane Helene; and Viable Utility Reserve grants aimed at supporting distressed local government units.
A full list of selected projects is available on the NCDEQ website.
The spring 2026 funding round opens on February 23, with applications due by April 30. In-person training sessions will take place in Hickory, Greenville, and Research Triangle Park/Durham from February 23 through March 4. A virtual session via Webex is scheduled for March 4, with recordings made available online.
According to the official website of the Department of Environmental Quality (https://www.deq.nc.gov/), the agency regulates air, land, water, and coastal environments throughout North Carolina while promoting public education and environmental compliance to foster community awareness. It also delivers science-based stewardship focused on protecting natural resources and maintaining environmental quality statewide.
The Department handles services such as air quality regulation, permit issuance, law enforcement related to environmental matters, waste management, and oversight of water resources (https://www.deq.nc.gov/). Its central office is located at 217 West Jones Street in Raleigh (https://www.deq.nc.gov/).
March 2 marks the final deadline for applications related specifically to Helene disaster resiliency projects.
Further details about funding programs are available on the Division of Water Infrastructure’s web pages.
