Spring Lake to receive state funding to improve water system
SPRING LAKE, N.C, (WTVD) -- Gov. Josh Stein has approved more than $244 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across 28 North Carolina counties, including significant investments in the Sandhills region.
Residents in Spring Lake, a town long plagued by water issues and rising utility costs, expressed a mix of frustration and guarded optimism as news of the funding spread. Many say the investment is long overdue, but after years of broken promises, they remain wary.
"Since we've lived here, we've had many, many water breaks," said Ruth Bylo, a longtime Spring Lake resident.
With Spring Lake's, um, I guess, history of being unreliable with their funds. I don't really have a lot of faith that anything is going to get done.- Katie Locklear, Spring Lake resident
For Bylo, bottled water became a daily necessity not just for drinking, but for basic household tasks.
"I was getting ready to hook up the dishwasher when it's like, well, I'll have the water pressure. So instead of running it to the cycle where the energy is cheaper, I had to wait for the next day," she recalled.
Bylo has lived in her Spring Lake home for 13 years. She said years of unexpected water outages, boil water advisories with little notice, and rising water bills ultimately pushed her to leave.
"You know, when they set everything back up, it just is a real heavy bleach smell," Bylo added.
On Thursday, Stein announced new funding to strengthen aging water systems and bring relief to communities like Spring Lake. The town is slated to receive $1.5 million for drinking water system improvements and $3.4 million in loans for sewer system upgrades.
"It would be nice, but as I said, it's just one of those wait-and-see type things," Bylo said, echoing the cautious sentiment felt by many in the area.
Katie Locklear, another Spring Lake resident from the Holly Hills neighborhood, expressed skepticism about the town's ability to manage the new funds.
"With Spring Lake's, um, I guess, history of being unreliable with their funds. I don't really have a lot of faith that anything is going to get done," Locklear said.
Locklear described the everyday challenges of living with unpredictable water service.
"It's been kind of hard to be able to know when I'm going to be able to do laundry or be able to do dishes because it's just randomly low pressure, or even there's been times when it's off."
Carrying her 20-day-old baby, Locklear said that inconsistent water service has made daily life difficult.
"They have already increased our bill in the past couple of years, and they said it was for improvements, and things have only gotten worse," she said.
She keeps cases of bottled water at home, preparing for the next water main break. "I feel like I'm always on edge of having to make sure, OK, I need to do the dishes now," Locklear said.
As Spring Lake prepares for the promised improvements, many residents say they will believe in change only when they see it.
