On Monday February 5th 2018 at 1 p.m., Davis • Martin • Powell (DMP) will join with officials from East Bend, Yadkin County, and Lowder Construction to celebrate a new milestone: the arrival of plentiful potable water to the eastern portion of Yadkin County, thanks to a new 10-mile water line.

According to Yadkin County Officials, until recently, some residents of East Bend and eastern Yadkin County would not drink or shower with their water, due to the fact that part of East Bend’s well-based system had to be shut down after it exceeded the EPA’s maximum contaminant level for radium.

The new water line carries water from northwest Forsyth County to East Bend, which has now shut down all of its wells and switched to the new county water system. Yadkin County is purchasing the water from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities Commission. Another 104 taps along the line will allow many other county residents and businesses along the way to receive the water.

The new line is the result of years of efforts to find a solution to the East Bend area’s water issues. Since 2010, DMP has worked with stakeholders from the Town and the County to develop an Enterprise Business Solution (EBS) and plans for the water line. Approximately 57,000 linear feet of 8” and 12” water lines were designed, along with a 250 gallon-per-minute booster pump station. DMP also assisted the County with multiple funding applications to pay for the line project. The water project eventually received a $4.175 million zero-percent interest loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and a $300,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Lowder Construction began building the water line in December 2016, and after testing and flushing of the lines, the new county water supply was turned on January 29th, 2018.