Smith County commissioners approve ARPA funding for water/sewer issues in Winona

By KLTV Digital Media Staff
Published: Nov. 1, 2022 at 9:52 AM GMT-7

WINONA, Texas (KLTV) - The Smith County Commissioners Court approved an agreement for a nearly $3.7 million water/sewer project on Tuesday.

The agreement involves the City of Winona and the East Texas Municipal Utility District (ETMUD), and it will be paid for with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

The project will help fix a “significant” water/sewer issue for Northeast Smith County residents.

Smith County was allocated more than $45 million in ARPA funds by the federal government, intended as relief funding from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn.

The commissioners court has held workshops to discuss water/sewer projects in rural areas, as well as other needed projects. They have considered benefit-to-cost ratios and the long-term impact of projects to the community.

The court heard a presentation in October about a sewer/water project that would help the City of Winona, through a partnership with ETMUD.

“It solves a lot of problems: their issues with wastewater compliance,” said General Manager of ETMUD Lane Thompson. “The state would like to regionalize wastewater plants instead of a bunch of small package plants they have to keep their eye on.”

Approving the agreement on Tuesday paved the way for the county to use $3,677,516 of its ARPA funding for the project.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend ARPA funds than this project,” said Commissioner Terry Phillips, who serves Precinct 3, which includes the Winona area.

Phillips said the project will help the entire City of Winona, but also one of Smith County’s large hospitals – UT Health Northeast, off of U.S. Highway 271 North – with its ongoing water/sewer issues.

The City of Winona has struggled with TCEQ compliance for wastewater discharge for more than 10 years and has been fined more than $90,000. Its inability to maintain TCEQ wastewater treatment compliance could slow or halt its economic growth and ability to receive funding in the future, according to a previous presentation by Thompson.

“I was convinced that this was the last water/sewer project that we absolutely needed to get done,” Moran said. “It will have the biggest impact on a rural community in Smith County.”

The ARPA funding from Smith County would pay to construct a lift station and a force main, close down the city’s old wastewater plant and, instead, send its wastewater to be treated at ETMUD’s plant. The cost of the lift station and force main would be $3,677,516.

Benefits would include lower operation and maintenance costs for Winona residents, regionalization of wastewater treatment which would improve the service to citizens of Northern Smith County, improved water quality for the Sabine River Basin, and increased marketability and tax valuation for commercial property in the area.

“The end all, be all is a lift station and force main to our station to pump it,” Thompson said.

For more information about Smith County’s use of ARPA funding, visit the smith county website.