WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that the County of Wise will receive $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to install a new sewer system outside Coeburn.

“We are pleased to announce these funds to improve wastewater infrastructure in Wise County,” said the Senators. “The new sewer system will improve health and water quality by reducing runoff and contamination.”

Residents in the Banner community outside of the Town of Coeburn are not served by a public wastewater treatment system. Most residents rely on conventional onsite sewage disposal systems, nearly 80 percent of which have been in operation for more than 30 years, exceeding the typical life cycle of these systems. The new sewer system, which will be installed in two phases, will collect waste and transport it to the Coeburn-Norton-Wise Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing, eliminating the need for residents to maintain costly private septic systems in a community where 65 percent of the population is low- and moderate-income. The project is also expected to improve local ecosystems and water quality and reduce health risks associated with sewage runoff and discharges.

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