Anticipated FEMA Grant Cancellation Shifts Salisbury’s Water Resiliency Project Strategy

The City of Salisbury’s plan to relocate its raw water pump station on the Yadkin River has reached a turning point with the  anticipated funding loss of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 2021 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant.

“Although we have not yet received a final decision on the grant, we remain hopeful and committed to working alongside our federal and state partners to secure funding,” Mayor Tamara Sheffield said. “Salisbury’s top priority is ensuring that our community has a reliable and resilient water supply, and we’re grateful for the strong collaboration that continues to move this project forward.”

The Salisbury-Rowan Utilities (SRU) Water Resiliency Project is a multi-year, $31.5 million initiative developed to address increasingly frequent flooding and hazardous access conditions at the existing raw water pump station on Hannah Ferry Road that provides water to over 53,000 customers throughout Rowan County. Plans call for constructing a combined tower intake structure and new pump station approximately 2,100 feet downstream on the Yadkin River to help protect the water supply up to and potentially beyond the 100-year flood event.

To advance project design and environmental reviews, the City has invested over $3 million in engineering fees. This work was supported by a $2 million contribution from project partner Cube Yadkin Generation LLC, which is part of their $9 million match for the $22.5 million BRIC grant. In addition, the City has completed a full Environmental Assessment and obtained a Finding of No Significant Impact—both critical steps in minimizing environmental and community impacts.

Salisbury remains fully committed to improving the community’s water resiliency and will continue to work with federal and state officials to seek other avenues of support to ensure that this critical infrastructure improvement project moves forward. By relocating the pump station to a safer area, officials intend to reduce the risk of storm-related flooding, maintain reliable water service during severe weather, and eliminate hazardous access issues at the current location.

For more information on Salisbury’s infrastructure initiatives or to follow updates on the SRU Water Resiliency Project, contact SRU Director Jason Wilson at jason.wilson@salisburync.gov or 704-216-7553.

The City of Salisbury is located in the heart of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, midway between Charlotte and Greensboro. Salisbury is the county seat of Rowan County, and provides a full range of municipal services, including law enforcement, fire protection, zoning and code enforcement and water and sewer systems. For more information regarding the City of Salisbury and its services and departments, please visit us on the web at www.salisburync.gov. To receive updates regarding local initiatives, meetings, programs and events, please follow us on Twitter at @CitySalisburyNC and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CitySalisburyNC.