MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey has announced a $500,000 grant to make critical upgrades to a wastewater treatment plant in Macon County.
The funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission will be used to construct an updated system for disinfecting wastewater before it is released back into the environment. This upgrade at Macon County’s North Wastewater Treatment Plant will help the plant meet water quality standards set by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Under the previous disinfection system, the City of Tuskegee Utilities Board received permit violation citations from ADEM, board officials said. The plant is currently using a temporary replacement system that has allowed it to avoid permit violations, but the utilities board has warned that without a permanent solution, future violations will be unavoidable.
The plant serves 3,500 residents in Tuskegee and surrounding areas. This upgrade is expected to enhance water quality in the area, reducing potential health risks from pollutants and contaminants. The utilities board notes that the infrastructure improvement will also benefit an economic development project currently underway in the area and is expected to help in recruiting new industries, especially ones that rely on reliable and plentiful sources of clean water such as food processing, manufacturing or eco-tourism.
“Access to clean water is absolutely essential to a healthy community,” Gov. Ivey said. “This project will improve the quality of life for Macon County residents and make the area more attractive to new industry. I’m pleased to support this grant and am excited to see the positive impact it will have on this area.”
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama.
“This upgrade is great news for this community and will provide a more practical and cost-effective system for wastewater treatment,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “I join Gov. Ivey in commending all the community leaders who worked to move this project forward.”
Gov. Ivey notified Gerald Long, general manager of the City of Tuskegee Utilities Board, that the grant had been approved.
ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. The agency’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation. Thirty-seven Alabama counties, including Macon County, are part of the ARC region and eligible for funds.
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
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