It appears that the Town of Blowing Rock is getting drought relief from a variety of sources. Last week The Blowing Rock Town Council eased water restrictions in light of heavy sustained rains received by the area since the beginning of the year. This week, the town received additional help from the state.
On Tuesday, March 17th, Gov. Mike Easley announced that Blowing Rock was among six western North Carolina communities eligible for a total of $1.58 million in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help expand their public water supplies.
In addition to Blowing Rock, the grants will help Lenoir, Valdese, Tryon, Marshall and Mars Hill. The communities were chosen because they are among the hardest hit by the extended drought over the past two years.
“These communities are among the most vulnerable in our state and could run out of water if the drought continues into the summer,” said Easley. “We helped these towns identify new water sources and now we are helping them to pay to connect to those sources.”
The grants include $300,000 for Blowing Rock to connect to the Town of Boone’s water system. According to a statement from the Governor’s Office, Boone has access to a larger water source and recently signed an agreement with Appalachian State University to draw on its water system. The grant will help create a regional water system that Boone, Blowing Rock and ASU can use during a time of water crisis.
Lenoir also received a $300,000 grant. The city will use it to help pay for a new, deeper water intake in Lake Rhodhiss to provide access to a deeper source of drinking water for city residents and regional water customers.
The money for these grants comes from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership providing social and economic support for a 13-state region along the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. North Carolina received a total of $3.5 million from then commission this year.
Other organizations helping to make these grants possible include the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the North Carolina Rural Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.