ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Aging pipes are at the center of a water line replacement project in the town of Norway.
Town leaders say they have some of the oldest water lines in the state.
“Sometimes you don’t even wanna wash your meat in the water. The way it smell and the color of the water,” said one resident.
The town of Norway is working on replacing the water lines on Harrison Avenue. The plan is to replace its galvanized pipes with PVC pipes and new water meters.
One lifelong resident, who chose to remain anonymous, says aging pipes have affected both the quality and pressure of their water.
“It’s bad. Sometimes it’s worse. Real bad. You can’t really wash your white clothes in it because it’s rusty. Even the one on the outside is rusty. You’re getting smells. It’s terrible,” they said.
Other residents say although they haven’t been personally affected by issues, they still support the project.
“Well that should be a good idea cause I’m sure they have rusty pipes. I’m sure of that but personally no we never had any problem. The water flows really good really, in my opinion,” said resident Sandra Pascascio.
Norway town officials have said its water lines have been in the ground for more than 100 years.
The $900,000 project is being made possible by a grant from the Lower Savannah Council of Governments.
Mayor Pro Tem Greg Covington says the town is trying to catch up on its audits so it can qualify for additional federal funding for other projects.
“Our hands are tied until we get our audits caught up. Once we get those caught up then we can start qualifying for new water lines and some new projects with some federal money but it’s got to lean toward rural America it can’t go to these big cities,” said Covington.
The town is expected to start the project sometime this month.