Eutaw gets ADEM grant to improve water, sewer service for neighboring Boligee

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has awarded a $5.6 million grant that will allow the City of Eutaw to better serve the water and sewer needs of neighboring Boligee.

“We’re here because God has answered our prayers,” Eutaw Mayor Lathasha said at a news conference Friday. “We have a 16-inch line that runs from Eutaw to Boligee, and over the years they’ve been crying out because of the pressure of the water and the limited amount of water there. So, we have worked together and reached out to ADEM, and ADEM has rewarded us this grant, with no match, and that’s a blessing.”

The grant will pay for replacing pumps at lift stations in both communities to improve waste disposal. It will take five years to complete the project, according to Cory Martin, who operates Eutaw’s wastewater treatment.

Officials read a statement from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey that said, “In Alabama, we believe in helping our neighbors. That’s what the City of Eutaw is doing.” Congressman Terry Sewell also expressed her support in a statement. Access to clean water and treatment of wastewater “is a basic human right,” she said.