Mauldin awarded $3.5M state grant for infrastructure project

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An Upstate city has been awarded a nearly $3.4 million grant from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority for a sewer rehabilitation project.

Mauldin plans to use the funds to rehabilitate deteriorating clay sewer pipes that were installed more than 60 years ago. The project will take an estimated five-to-six months from design to construction to completion, with a deadline to spend all funds by Dec. 31, 2026, according to a news release.

“This is an important project for the City of Mauldin that will positively impact quality of life for our residents,” said Mauldin Mayor Terry Merritt. “These funds will allow us to make critical improvements to our sewer system, ensuring we continue to protect public health and the environment while preparing for future growth and development.”

Awarded as part of the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program, the grant is for the city’s Basin RG2 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project and will contribute approximately $600,000 in local match for construction and engineering services related to the project, the release said.

The project includes rehabilitation of approximately 12,500 feet of existing clay sewer pipe as well as approximately 73 brick manholes and 120 clay service laterals.

“I am proud of the effort by our Public Works Department, Director Matthew Fleahman and our City Administration to identify this need and the pursuing of these grants,” said Mauldin councilman Jason Kraeling, who is also the public works committee chairman. “Proactively addressing our public infrastructure prevents a significant cost from being forced onto our citizens in the future.”

The authority awarded a total of nearly $1.4 billion to water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure projects in more than 200 communities across South Carolina. More than 300 applications totaling more than $2 billion were submitted, and 70% of all applications were funded, including at least one project in every county, according to the release.

The South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority is a state agency that was established in 2012 to assist communities with financing for qualified infrastructure projects for water and wastewater systems as well as stormwater drainage facilities. The authority has awarded more than $953 million in grants, from 2013 to 2022, and loans from 2016 to 2022.