FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR, SCOTT SHENK

A Spotsylvania County water treatment plant expansion project has officially garnered federal funding, something that will help move the project forward.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger helped secure the $1.84 million for the expansion of the Motts Run water treatment plant, her office announced Tuesday, after President Joe Biden signed the 7th Congressional District lawmaker’s legislation.

“Safe drinking water is a continued responsibility at the federal, state and local levels,” Spanberger said in the news release, noting that she worked with county leaders to get the money for the project.

Spotsylvania owns and operates the Motts Run plant, which opened in 1999, but has an agreement for combined water treatment with Fredericksburg. The plant’s primary water sources are the Rappahannock River and the Motts Run reservoir.

The $94 million project will expand and upgrade the facility’s equipment.

The expansion will double the capacity of the water treatment plant’s current 12 million gallons per day, according to the county’s Capital Improvement Plan, included as part of the fiscal 2023 budget.

The county’s plan says the project also will assess the plant’s “aging facilities,” with improvements planned for “power and water supply reliability, physical security, and data security.”

Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors Chairman Tim McLaughlin said the funds are “a critical step in helping to move this project forward” and decreasing local costs for the expansion.

“The Motts Run water treatment plant expansion project is essential in addressing the immediate needs of our community, but also ensures demands are met for the next 30 years,” McLaughlin said.

Spanberger’s office said the funding will cover the project’s National Environmental Policy Act Review, preliminary and detailed design engineering work and partial constructions costs—including the installation and upgrade of treatment facilities to meet current and future drinking water demands.