AG tours damaged Hillsborough wastewater plant: 'Not FEMA's money to cancel'

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson stepped beyond the caution tape to see where flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal knocked Hillsborough's wastewater pumping station offline. The infrastructure sits along the Eno River, and it was supposed to be moved to safer ground.

FEMA canceled grant money in April, and North Carolina is suing the federal agency for the money.

"This was not FEMA's money to cancel. This was a congressionally approved program," Jackson said.

Hillsborough had a grant approved for nearly $7 million from FEMA to move its wastewater pumping station.

Hillsborough Utilities Director Marie Standwitz said the infrastructure is outdated. The town wants to relocate it farther north, out of the 500-year floodplain.

The pumping station went offline during Chantal and caused sewage to be released into the Eno River. That station is responsible for transporting 75% of the sewage from customers to the Wastewater Treatment Plant on Elizabeth Brady Road, a Town spokesperson said.

Hillsborough couldn't provide residents with clean water, so the City of Durham stepped in to help after a separate treatment facility on Dimmocks Mill Road became flooded.

The pumping station is operating, but it is a temporary fix.

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"(It) is pretty devastating because the money that we have lost is causing us to revamp our capital improvement plan," said Standwitz.

FEMA told ABC News in April that this grant was "wasteful and ineffective" and "more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters."

"If you want to make FEMA more efficient, do it. If you want to make sure that local towns have more power over how that money is spent, do it. Here's a local town telling you that they have a major risk with this piece of infrastructure," said Jackson.

The attorney general is suing for $200 million in FEMA grant money.

Jackson said the state will be asking the court to treat this situation as an emergency, requesting a preliminary injunction, and expecting a hearing to take place in weeks.