Winnsboro connector line approved by state authority; construction contracts signed, mayor says

The Fairfield County Joint Water, Sewer and Service Commission has received approval from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority to begin construction on the Winnsboro connector wastewater line, Mayor John McMeekin told the county council Monday.

At a January 28 preconstruction hearing in Winnsboro, McMeekin said contractors and engineers signed construction contracts to start work on the wastewater line. "This wastewater line will run from the industrial park, following Peach Road, then down Highway 321 to the Winnsboro Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has about 500,000 gallons of extra wastewater capacity," McMeekin said. He described the project as a major step to attract industry to the county and to build capacity for a future county wastewater treatment plant.

McMeekin, who serves as chairman of the Fairfield Joint Water, Sewer and Service Commission and as mayor of Winnsboro, said the commission secured an intergovernmental agreement to establish a special-purpose district for an eventual county wastewater treatment plant. He cautioned that additional negotiations and regulatory approvals outside Fairfield County will be required to complete plans and obtain permission to build a new plant that would serve Winnsboro and other county communities.

The mayor said the project is intended to boost economic development and help stabilize population trends by providing needed infrastructure. He invited council members to ask questions and offered to return to a future meeting to answer technical or procedural questions from the council.