Sparta Seeking Additional Funding For Sewer System

The town of Sparta hopes to improve it’s sewer system with Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant funding.

City Administrator Chris Dorsey said the potential grant monies would help upgrade the city’s lift station.

“That lift station has been around for quite a while and basically needs to be replaced,” Dorsey said. “We’re hoping that the total cost on that will be a little under $500,000.”

Dorsey said the board of mayor and aldermen have voted to apply for a $473,000 ARC grant. The city would be required to pay $142,000 towards the total grant amount.

The lift station is designed to move wastewater from lower to higher elevations.

Dorsey said Sparta received a $498,000 grant last year that seeks to rehabilitate aging sewer lines throughout town.

“We have a community development block grant for our sewer system to help with infiltration of storm water that comes into the sewer lines,” Dorsey said. “It’s not supposed to but it does and what we are trying to do is repair our sewer lines and move a few of our manholes, especially a couple that are built up next to a creek.”

Dorsey said the city has voted to solicit engineers to help with the design phase of the sewer rehabilitation project.

The city will receive notification about the ARC grant later this year.