North Carolina eyes consolidation of aging rural water and sewer systems

July 2019

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper wants to use about $800 million from a proposed $3.9 billion bond issue to help fix the state's deteriorating water systems.

Voters will decide whether to approve the bond issue in November 2020.

The state’s 2017 Water Master Plan Report estimated that between $17 billion and $26 billion will be needed to repair or replace its aging and often decrepit water infrastructure, a process projected to take 20 years.

The year the report came out, the state was expecting $100 million in grants in 2018 and 2019, which The DWI Master Plan Report said would fund merely 8 percent of wastewater infrastructure needs and 7 percent of drinking water needs.