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The project is the second phase of an effort to eliminate septic tanks, which could contaminate the May River, and bring public utilities to residents who can't afford the hook-up fees for water and sewer lines.
Bluffton is one of 23 entities across the state to receive the grant targeted to improve water and sewer services for low- and moderate-income residents, the S.C. Department of Commerce reported Monday.
Last year, the town received the same grant amount, and that money is being used for the first phase, to install sewer service along Buck Island Road. The community development grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and distributed by the state.
Installing sewers lines along parts of Buck Island and Simmonsville roads has been a priority for residents since the area was annexed into the town in 2005. The town worked with the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority to extend the service.
The first phase will help about 70 residences, and construction for that phase should begin by the end of the year, said Dick Deuel, the authority's development project manager.
The second phase along Simmonsville Road will bring water and sewer services to about 52 households, said project director James Ayers of Bluffton's engineering department.
The second phase is expected to cost about $1.1 million, Ayers said. The town has contributed $500,000. The authority has pitched in $125,000 by waiving the hook-up fees that would have cost each household $2,760, Deuel said. The work is expected to be finished in July 2011.
