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North Augusta closes out roughly $13.4M in ARPA/RAIA water and wastewater upgrades
Summary
Public Services presented final reports on ARPA and RAIA‑funded projects totaling about $13.4 million, including Clay Street pump station upgrades, extensive cured‑in‑place sewer lining (over 71,000 linear feet), manhole rehabilitation, and Carolina Springs lift station reconstruction; staff said projects came in under budget and improved reliability.
Public Services Director James Sutton told the council on June 8 that major water and wastewater projects funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), RAIA grants and utility construction funds are complete and the project files can be closed.
Sutton described the upgraded Clay Street pump station — a modern, climate‑controlled enclosure with high‑efficiency pumps, variable frequency drives, automated controls and a standby generator — and said the station fills a 1‑million‑gallon below‑ground storage tank serving thousands of customers. He said the upgrades should reduce maintenance needs and provide energy and operational efficiencies.
On wastewater, Sutton summarized a large program of cured‑in‑place (CIP) lining to renew aging clay pipe and rehabilitate brick manholes. He said contractors renewed tens of thousands of linear feet across multiple phases (Sutton reported figures including 71,249 linear feet of CIP renewal in a consolidated accounting) and rehabilitated hundreds of brick manholes. Where pipes had collapsed and could not be lined, crews performed point repairs or full replacements. Sutton described the CIP process and noted a design life estimate of 50+ years for the lined pipe.
Sutton also reviewed work upgrading the Carolina Springs lift station (originally constructed in 1953) to a wet‑well configuration with new pumps, automated controls and an onsite diesel pump for outages. He said the work improved safety — staff no longer need confined‑space entries to service the station — and increased pump capacity.
Sutton presented funding and expense totals: ARPA funds of approximately $3.1 million, RAIA/RAIA‑type grant funding and the city’s utility construction fund were used across projects. He reported combined project expense in the $13.3–$13.4 million range and said the projects closed under budget in several cases, freeing some grant or utility funds for additional work.
Council members asked follow‑up about homeowner laterals and responsibilities after CIP lining; staff clarified private lateral responsibility remains with homeowners, although the city provides connection tees and may assist when work intersects the public main.
What’s next: Staff said the remaining savings in some grants will be returned to the granting agency if unused; the city will use remaining utility construction funds for additional priority repairs identified during the project work.
