County hears $19M plan for seven‑mile Canton–Clyde–Wesville emergency water interconnect

County staff and project consultants presented the Canton–Clyde–Wesville emergency water interconnect—a seven‑mile transmission line designed as a chlorinated, pressurized "wet line" that can move up to 2 million gallons a day between Wesville, Clyde and Canton in an emergency. Rob Heights summarized the project’s history and described a $19 million order‑of‑magnitude cost and a funding package that includes grant/loan combinations: approximately $10M in State Revolving Loan funds for Canton (substantially forgiven), about $4.316M grant/loan for Clyde (mostly forgiven), and approximately $284,960 for Wesville (forgivable), which together were reported to provide roughly $17.158M of the $19.165M estimated cost.

Mark Kathy of McGill Associates described the physical design—three pump stations, a 250,000‑gallon tank to maintain chlorine residuals, and the route across Ratliff/Rackliff Cove and Clyde Gap. Commissioners and managers discussed easement acquisition, municipal administration of the three sections, and the county’s small economic‑development grant contribution; staff said each town will administer its own grant and related easement acquisitions, and that design work could proceed rapidly once funding is final.