City of Elizabethton officials were able to receive some big news this week for the improvements of water lines.

State of Tennessee officials announced Wednesday that Elizabethton and Carter County received a combined total of $840,000 for Community Development Block Grants. The county received $315,000 for expansion of the Emergency Operations Center while the remaining $525,000 will go toward water system rehabilitation to replace miles of a decaying galvanized line. State Senators Rusty Crowe (R– Johnson City) and Jon Lundberg (R – Bristol) along with State Representatives John Holsclaw (R – Elizabethton) and Timothy Hill (R – Blountville) made the announcement in an email provided to the Elizabethton Star.

Johann Coetzee, the general manager of the Elizabethton Water Resource Department, said the project coincides with the department’s water loss reduction program that is aimed to help fix years’ worth of water loss in the distribution system.

“This project will help us make a significant step in the program,” Coetzee said.

Coetzee added that the overall cost of the project is over $610,000 with the city contributing an $86,000-plus match to assist the work.

City Manager Daniel Estes made the announcement to City Council during Thursday’s meeting and indicated it was worth an $86,000 investment to receive $525,000 for an issue plaguing the area.

According to Coetzee, the area that will be impacted by the project includes Sycamore, Bravo, Eisenhower, Glenview and Riverview streets.

Engineering for the project is anticipated to take place later this year, the general manager said. While the project is in its infancy, an estimated timeframe for completion is slated within the 2019-20 range.

“Engineering will start this year and we’re looking at construction to take place next year,” Coetzee said. “We expect to see the project completed either in late 2019 or early 2020.”

The project includes replacing 1,700 linear feet of six-inch line while replacing an additional 2,700-plus of linear feet for a two-inch line.

“This kind of investment in infrastructure is very important to the well-being of our citizens and the overall economic development of our county,” Sen. Crowe said about the distribution of both grants. “I appreciate the work of local officials in Carter County and Elizabethton to secure these grants.”

Coetzee added the project couldn’t have been made possible without local support, including help from their engineer and the First Tennessee Development District.

“We’re very thankful for the help to receive these funds,” he said. “This will mean a lot of the work to the water lines in the area.”