State grants an additional $8 million for Boiling Springs Lakes dam restoration project

BOILING SPRINGS LAKES, N.C. (WWAY) — Taxpayers in the city of Boiling Springs Lakes can take a sigh of relief as more funding comes in for its dam restoration project.

The lakes dried up in 2018 after steady downpours from Hurricane Florence resulted in flooded lakes and burst the city’s dams.

The city approved an updated budget for the dam restoration project Tuesday evening, which includes an additional eight-million dollars in grant funding from the state.

This additional money means the bond referendum voters approved in 2022 to help fund the project will not be necessary.

The city will also install sensor surveillance cameras at the reconstruction sites to prevent trespassing.

“We had a lot of trespassing going on,” added Boiling Spring Lakes Mayor Jeff Winecoff. “It worried us because it’s a very dangerous site right now. With all the digging and the holes and the drilling, we didn’t want anyone to get out there and get hurt, and nobody know that somebody was out there.”

Winecoff shared that the project is running ahead of schedule and is still expected to take around two more years.

Two police officers were also sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting.