The town of Latta has received a $1,491,600 grant from the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority, which it will use to replace water and sewer lines. The grant comes on top of more than $12 million in funding the town has received from other state and federal agencies.

The Rural Infrastructure Authority announced in May that it had made available about $29 million in grants for capital improvement projects in 16 SC counties, including four in the Pee Dee. These grants are to go toward improving water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, benefiting more than 50,000 households and businesses and bolstering services that support economic growth, the statement said.

Howard Garland, Latta’s interim town administrator, said the RIA grant will go toward sewer line replacements around the area. “We’ve had a problem for years with stormwater getting in.”

Latta, in Dillon County, has a population of 1,296, according to 2020 Decennial Census data. Garland said, in addition to the recent Rural Infrastructure Authority grant, the town has received $12,707,636 in funding from state and federal entities, including more than $8 million for water and sewer projects from another RIA initiative, the SC Infrastructure Investment Program. The program assists SC communities with improvements for clean drinking water, sanitary sewer and stormwater resilience, according to the SCRIA website.

Garland said Latta has received about $3 million to reinforce sewer lines from the US Agriculture Department and the State Revolving Fund Program via the SC Department of Environmental Services. Latta has also received funding from the Community Development Block Grant program through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Garland said Latta’s “main street water lines are 99% complete. For sewer lines, we have to obtain permits from [the state Transportation and Environmental Services departments]. Looking at preliminary engineering reports, we’re looking at another six months before that starts. It has to be bid out. We’re looking at starting sewer construction in spring 2027, with completion projected for end of next year.”

The town also replaced its water tower with a new, modern one. “The old one was from the 1940s,” Garland said.

Latta has tapped Hanna Engineering LLC of Florence for the engineering work.

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Julie Johnson, general manager of Chesterfield County Rural Water Co., said in an email the utility would use the funds to replace about 7,400 linear feet of existing 2.5-inch PVC water line along Peach Orchard Road between Kirkley and Evans Mill roads with a new 6-inch ductile iron water main. Johnson said the project also involves installing six fire hydrants, a creek crossing and an air-release valve and vault; pavement and driveway restoration; and “all associated appurtenances.”

Additionally, plans call for the full refurbishment of the booster pump station at 10905 Highway 265. The refurbish includes replacing pumps, motors, piping, valves, electrical panels and new variable-frequency drives, Johnson said.

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