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Four projects in Aiken County would receive a total of $10.34 million and the Savannah River Site will receive nearly $1.3 billion from the $1.7 trillion bill that would fund the federal government until Sept. 30, 2023.
The bill includes $5 million for the expansion of the Horse Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Aiken County, $4.5 million for the construction of a new water plant for the City of Aiken, $422,000 for facilities and to improve health care access at Rural Health Services, and $413,000 for firefighting equipment upgrades in Aiken County.
The Horse Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant serves the high-growth areas between Aiken and North Augusta. The front end of the plant has been upgraded to a 26 million gallon per day capacity.
Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian told the Aiken Standard when U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced he was seeking $10 million for the project in June that the funding will go toward updating the back end of the plant to the same capacity.
Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh told the Aiken Standard when Graham asked for $8 million for the project that the funding would help fund a replacement for the city’s water treatment plant that was built in 1954.
The replacement plant would be constructed across from the existing plant. Additional funding sources include a previous water rate increase, grants, city reserves and a loan from the state revolving loan fund.
The funding for Rural Health Services will go toward renovating a building being vacated when Rural Health Services moves into its new building. The old building will be renovated to provide more space for the residency program offered in partnership with Aiken Regional Medical Centers.
The bill also includes nearly $1.3 billion in funding for the Savannah River Site recommended by the 2023 James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act.
The funding includes $1.2 billion for the construction of the Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility (where 50 plutonium pits per year will be constructed beginning in the 2030s), $71.76 million to add additional gloveboxes for the mission to dispose of surplus plutonium by the dilute and dispose method, and $12.137 million in community assistance payments for communities impacted by the site.
Graham was one of 21 Republicans to join 49 Democrats who votied to proceed with debate on the bill before federal funding runs out Friday and Washington, D.C., is hit by a snowstorm as members of Congress attempt to leave for the holidays.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., voted against the motion to proceed.
There is some movement among Republicans to pass a shorter-term funding bill and wait until January – when Republicans take back the House and are in a better position to negotiate with the Democrats – on a longer-term funding bill.
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