Blaine Receives Third Grant for Sewer System
June 21, 2007

The city of Blaine will soon receive a third federal grant for its new sewer collection system. The Economic Development Administration (EDA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will provide a $520,560 grant for Blaine.

“This is the third federal investment in place for this project to improve the efficiency of the wastewater system,” said Congressman Wamp. “Blaine and Grainger County leaders have done a great job on the project and continue to work to meet the needs of the area’s growing population.”

The funding will be used toward the construction of a new sewer collection system to initially serve 249 residents of Blaine and the surrounding unserved areas. The Sewer Force Main will connect the system in Blaine to the Knoxville Utilities Board wastewater treatment plant five miles away.

The population in Blaine and Grainger County has grown, increasing the number of septic systems in use. Area residents have experienced a high rate of septic system failures for a number of years, likely due to the natural geological conditions in the area. These failures may be contributing to contaminants in the local ground water and nearby streams.

In addition to the federal funding from EDA, the total funding for the project includes a loan of $1,340,000 and grant of $446,500 from Rural Development earlier this year and a previous Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for $500,000, for a total federal investment of $2,807,060.