Hamlet council accepts $4.925 million in state funds after engineering update; DEQ approval clears water plant for construction

The Hamlet City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution to accept $4,925,000 in directed project grant funding from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and received a timeline update from LKC Engineering on major water and wastewater projects.

City Manager (S3) told the council the DEQ had issued the final stamp of approval for the water treatment plant design, allowing the city to proceed toward construction. "As of today, we received from DEQ the stamp of approval to begin construction on our water treatment plant," the manager said, framing the milestone as the result of years of work and as a key step toward resolving long‑running water quality issues.

Adam Kiker of LKC Engineering (S6), who presented on behalf of the city's consulting team, said contractors have finished design work and that permitting milestones are now complete. "Very coincidentally today, the permit was issued," Kiker said, and added that residents should "expect to start seeing actual construction activities early next year." He described the water‑plant rehabilitation as a nearly $13–14 million project funded primarily with American Rescue Plan funds and other local appropriations, and said the work includes replacing century‑old filters, new storage tanks and modern treatment controls intended to improve water quality and regulatory compliance.

Kiker also detailed a separate wastewater expansion funded largely through USDA Rural Development that will increase the plant's permitted capacity from about 1,000,000 gallons a day to roughly 2,000,000 gallons a day. He said the package includes loan financing and a notable $6 million grant contribution from USDA, and that construction permitting for the wastewater project will be completed later in the year.

The council's acceptance of the NCDEQ grant directs $1,650,000 toward water plant rehabilitation, $783,000 for distribution/fire‑flow improvements in the southwest system, and roughly $2,492,000 for gravity sewer rehabilitation and wastewater treatment expansion. The city manager told the council no local match is required for the award.

During public comment, resident Esco Latimer (S11) pressed the council on historical drinking‑water reporting and lab thresholds, saying that reporting of "0" in some tables can reflect values below the lab's minimum reporting limit rather than the absence of contaminants. "0 does not mean no contamination," Latimer said, urging careful review of Consumer Confidence Reports. The city manager and council members responded that long‑term infrastructure investments, funded by grants and loans the city has secured, are intended to address the system's aging components.

Mayor Amy Gwyn (S1) and council members emphasized that the changes are the product of multi‑year grant work and permitting, and they asked staff to continue regular updates as construction and procurement proceed. The council approved the NCDEQ resolution by voice vote.

Votes at a glance - Resolution to accept NCDEQ Appropriations Act directed project grant ($4,925,000): approved (motion by Council Member S5; second by Mayor Amy Gwyn S1). - Motion directing staff follow‑up and timeline for water/wastewater projects: informational presentation; staff will return with procurement/contract details.

What comes next LKC Engineering told council construction activity for the water plant is expected to begin early next year; staff said design, procurement and upfitting will continue over the next months and that the city will provide routine project updates to council and the public.