MORGANTOWN – An estimated $16.6 million project to connect hundreds of residences in the area of Van Voorhis Road and Bakers Ridge Road to the Morgantown Utility Board’s sanitary sewer system is getting some federal assistance.
MUB has been awarded $2 million in federal funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’s Section 571 Program. The funding was approved as part of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2026 and will be applied toward project designs and construction costs.
The Van Voorhis Area Sewer Line Extension will eliminate four existing sewer package plants and connect some 375 residences in the Bakers Ridge Manor, Graycliff, Brettwald and Brettwald Estates developments directly to MUB’s Star City Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“This funding represents a major step forward for several neighborhoods that have dealt with persistent wastewater challenges for years,” MUB General Manager Mike McNulty said. “By eliminating failing package plants and connecting these communities directly to a regional treatment facility, we’re investing in long-term reliability, environmental protection and overall quality of life for residents.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding operates as a reimbursable cost share program, with 75% federal participation and 25% non-federal matching funds. Of the $2 million allocation, $100,000 will be used by the ACOE to conduct project-related tasks, with an anticipated reimbursement of $1.9 million to MUB.
In addition to the $766,913 that MUB will contribute to the project, a $1 million grant from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council has been secured.
MUB is also working with the IJDC on low-interest Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans to cover the remaining costs. Loans will be the responsibility of customers benefiting from the project, repaid through surcharges spelled out in agreements with the homeowners associations in the affected developments.
“This project is a terrific example of local, state and federal partners working together to solve complex infrastructure problems,” McNulty said. “The financial participation from the Corps of Engineers significantly reduces the burden on our customers while allowing this critical work to move forward.”
The project includes construction of a new lift station; approximately 14,630 feet of 10-inch force main; 3,000 feet of 12-inch PVC gravity main; 2,500 feet of 8-inch gravity sewer main; and the installation of 42 manholes. The project also includes a directional drill beneath West Run and upgrades to on-site sewer systems totaling more than 35,600 feet of additional sewer pipe installation.
Construction timelines will be shared as the design phase advances.
