Rural Hall residents getting access to public water once waterline is installed along Highway 65

Rural Hall residents depending on well water, have expressed concerns about well pump failures and long recovery times.

Rural Hall residents depending on well water, have expressed concerns about well pump failures and long recovery times.

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Rural Hall residents depending on well water, have expressed concerns about well pump failures and long recovery times.

Residents and businesses along Highway 65 in Rural Hall will soon have access to public running water.

Thanks to a new waterline project, county commissioners and the utilities commission have secured state and federal funds through the American Rescue Plan. The project costs $1.3 million.

Over the years, Rural Hall residents dependent on well water have expressed concerns about well pump failures and long recovery times.

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"Our city/county water doesn't expand without a subdivision that somebody's paying for an expansion," Forsyth County Commissioner Chair Don Martin said. "We have not typically been in the expansion business either but we began to looking at resources that could actually help us do that and get this project going, and we were successful."

The new water line installation will not only benefit residents but also first responders like the Rural Hall Fire Department. The project will give them access to public water from the county instead of relying on well systems.

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Rural Hall's Fire Chief Mike Simone said when the county puts water lines along Highway 65, it will also open up the opportunity to have more fire hydrants in the area.

Simone said his crews currently only have access to two fire hydrants along the 3-mile stretch. Hauling water to and from a scene requires more manpower and trucks to use.

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"The last hydrant in the district right now going out that way is right there past the school behind us. It stops right down the road behind us," Simone said. "We have to bring water to the scene if there's a fire there. So any time there's a readily available water supply it's much easier on us obviously."

The utilities commission is expected to sign the contract for the project this month and the installation starts in November. It will take about a year to complete.