ADEM, EPA officials hold signing for Hayneville sewer project

HAYNEVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) - Officials with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined other state and local officials for a signing event Friday morning in Hayneville. The ceremony marked the official kickoff for a $10 million project aimed at repairing and upgrading the town’s sewer system.

This funding is part of $466 million in grants and loans ADEM awarded in 2022 to address critical infrastructure needs of water and sewer systems in Lowndes County, the Black Belt and other areas of the state.

“We are absolutely delighted to be able to provide this much-needed funding to the town and its residents,” ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said. “The town has significant sewer and water needs that can have direct effect on residents’ health and well-being. Meeting those and other infrastructure needs in Lowndes County was a priority for the Department.”

The mayor called the investment a “great start” and added that it’s the beginning of the future for the town.

“Our sewer system is failing,” Hayneville Mayor Jimmie Davis said. “We’re a small town, and we don’t have the money to even think about a project like this. This money means everything to our town. I am overjoyed for our residents who have had to go without adequate sewer service, but will soon get a sewer system they deserve.”

ADEM additionally awarded Hayneville $2.9 million to improve the town’s drinking water system.

“Assistance to disadvantaged and underserved communities like those in the Black Belt is critical,” said Daniel Blackman, EPA Region 4 Administrator. “This BIL (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) funding will finance the restoration of Hayneville’s sanitary sewer collection system to reduce the widespread and constant exposure to raw sewage and provide them with clean and safe access to sanitary sewer systems.”

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