Town nets a storm water grant

Although a fixed grant amount has not been determined, the Sparta Town Council decided to work with Pilot View Inc. Resource Conservation and Development organization on a storm water management grant and project beginning with a feasibility study. At the time of the meeting, the project had already attained about $60,000 worth of funding from the N.C. Division of Water Quality.

RC&D representative Julie Elmore, an Elkin native, said she had learned of a watershed planning process in the Bledsoe Creek area of the county.

Speaking to the council she explained, "The Division of Water Quality started identifying that (area) as having decreasing water quality. As a part of that process, they awarded some money to come into the town and do a massive study. That study produced 28 sites for what could be utilized for what's called storm water management. Sparta is a long way from Charlotte, but Charlotte has so many storm water management issues, they have what is called a rain tax to try to pay for their storm water issues. Fortunately for you guys, there is what is a program called clean water management trust fund. They award monies to help smaller communities actually pay for water quality improvements and that's where the Resource Conservation and

Development come in. We can help you as a town (with) our external resources of consultants and contractors that can accomplish that goal."

 

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