The Town of Hillsborough resolved one of the impacts of July’s Tropical Depression Chantal still affecting its operations before the start of 2026.
Significant damage from the historic flooding of the Eno River during the storm forced the River Pump Station to use rental and temporary equipment for months as the town made repairs to its infrastructure. The local government confirmed Tuesday that its crews successfully moved the operations of the station alongside the Eno River from its temporary bypass units to a permanent pump. The three temporary units — which Hillsborough needed to power the flow of sewage in and out of the station to be processed at the town’s wastewater treatment plan — were uninstalled the week of Dec. 22.
“We’ve been working on this ever since the storm to get that pump repaired,” Mayor Mark Bell told 97.9 The Hill during his weekly interview. “We were finally able to install the new pumps, the control panel, test it and remove the temporary pumps in December, so it was really a great milestone to get that back into normal, working order.
“But,” Bell continued, “we’re still in desperate need to move that whole pump station out of that 500-year floodplain so we don’t have a repeat of that [damage]. But we’re glad that we’ve got the permanent pumps installed and we’re off those temporary bypasses.”
Hillsborough’s River Pump Station sits on the bank of the Eno River, with the easiest access being on a catwalk attached to the pipes that carry sewage across the water to the Elizabeth Brady Road Wastewater Treatment Plant on the other side. During Tropical Depression Chantal, flood waters from the river caused the gravity pumps to overflow and led to raw sewage spilling into the Eno River. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Hillsborough’s Elizabeth Brady Road treatment plant, which handles the intake of 75% of the town’s sewage before redistributing it into the Eno River, sits at an elevated bend in the river east of downtown. The River Pump Station, though, sits on the other side of the riverbank at a lower elevation. With the threat of floods, the need for improved wastewater capacity and with the pump station being several decades old, the town government had identified it as an option for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program (BRIC). After initially earning approval for the project in Aug. 2023, the Trump administration cut the entire BRIC program and approved grants in April 2025, cancelling $6 million to Hillsborough for the project right as the town was putting out design bids for contractors.
While relocating the River Pump Station would not have been possible before Chantal’s historic rainfall and flooding, the storm and damage to the town’s infrastructure increased attention to the project’s urgency. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined a lawsuit alongside 19 other states to sue the Trump administration and FEMA for the approved BRIC funding just days after Chantal, citing Hillsborough as an example of the 60 approved infrastructure projects whose funding ought to be restored. Massachusetts U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled in favor of the states on Dec. 11 and cited the Trump administration’s decision to cut the approved funds as “unlawful Executive encroachment on the prerogative of Congress to appropriate funds for a specific and compelling purpose.”
The decision, however, does not mean Hillsborough is guaranteed to still receive its remaining BRIC money. Bell said each affected local government represented in the lawsuit is awaiting legal advice on how to proceed.
“We’re still waiting to hear how that [funding restoration] is going to work,” he said, “and is it going to be appealed and how long it’s going to drag on. As of December, we don’t have any concrete information on how that’s going to pan out, so we are still waiting on legal advice from a variety of sources to help us understand and plan for when we can put that project out to bid and how it can be paid for.”
Bell also said the town is exploring options for covering its expenses created by the pump station’s necessary repairs and cost of the temporary units. Hillsborough’s release on Tuesday said the preliminary estimates for the restoration work exceed $1 million, which is a significant amount for a town that projected an operating budget of $32 million in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
“I would characterize it as a temporary outflow of cash the town had to make to cover that,” the mayor said when asked about paying for the short-term solutions at the pump station. “There are various insurance vehicles and other methods of funding that, hopefully, will reimburse those expenses.
“I’m not exactly sure how that is going to get paid for in the end — but the town definitely had to pick up the tab in the meantime,” Bell added.
Hillsborough saw many other public areas affected by July’s floods, which have since been repaired, cleaned and reopened to the public. The Riverwalk greenway suffered some damage but was reopened in sections, with the final piece declared open on Sep. 29. Gold Park reopened its playground, dog park and restroom facilities just a few days earlier. More details about Tropical Depression Chantal’s impacts on Orange County and the region can be read in Chapelboro’s Top Stories of 2025 series.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Hillsborough Reinstalls Pump Station Infrastructure After Flood Repairs, But Relocation Challenge Remains Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about hillsborough reinstalls pump station infrastructure after flood repairs but relocation challenge remains was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Hillsborough Reinstalls Pump Station Infrastructure After Flood Repairs, But Relocation Challenge Remains )
Also on site :
- Wharton’s great contrarian says AI adoption isn’t an easy way to cut headcount: ‘The key thing … is just how much work is involved in doing it’
- Ex-husband charged in deaths of Monique and Spencer Tepe
- A Red State’s High Court Gave Sam Alito the Dobbs Rejoinder He Deserves