SALISBURY — The city of Salisbury has reached an agreement with Cube Yadkin Generation to fund a portion of the $31.5 million project to relocate the city’s raw water pump station at the Yadkin River. The pump station is critical to the city’s water supply infrastructure and provides drinking water for more than 52,000 Salisbury-Rowan Utilities’ customers. Once complete, this infrastructure project will protect the pump station from the effects of worsening flooding at the current location.

 The city was recently selected as a finalist for a $22.5 million FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant for this project. The new station, which is expected to be constructed and operational by the end of 2026, will be located in a much more favorable location a short distance from the existing station. The new location will ensure that flooding at the existing station, which is happening more frequently and with more intensity, will not imperil customers’ drinking water.

One of the conditions of the FEMA grant is that a portion of the project’s cost include local matching funds. Cube Yadkin Generation, which owns the High Rock Dam on the Yadkin and uses it to generate carbon-free electricity, has committed to providing the matching funds of $9 million. This commitment, coupled with the FEMA grant funds, will enable the city to relocate this important new infrastructure.

 “The city has been laser-focused on protecting our customers’ access to clean drinking water,” said Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander in a news release. “Thanks to the hard work of the city’s team and the support of county, state and federal officials, we will now use federal and private dollars to fund this important project. This public-private partnership will pay dividends for future generations. We appreciate Cube Yadkin’s commitment to this investment in the city’s future.”

Neal Simmons, president and CEO of Cube Yadkin Generation, shared the following statement: “We are excited to partner with the city of Salisbury to bring this important project to life. And we are incredibly grateful for the leadership of the mayor and the city council, which established the plan and brought together the teams necessary to make this project possible. The Rowan County commissioners, members of the North Carolina General Assembly representing Rowan County, and our congressmen and U.S. Senators all made a positive difference in being named a finalist for the FEMA grant and improving access to clean water for thousands of people. The city of Salisbury and Cube Yadkin Generation thanks them all.” 

 More information can be found on FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/case-study/salisbury-north-carolina.