The Town of Bolton discovered in early 2020 that its water system had lost 77% of its treated water through 2019, a significant increase over the 38% water loss in 2018. Town staff and board members, as well as staff from the Rural Water Association, believed that water distribution pipes had been compromised by Hurricane Florence but remained hidden from detection for several months while the ground remained saturated. The change in weather from exceptionally wet through 2018 to moderate drought in mid-2019 back to saturation from Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 had exacerbated the compromised infrastructure and further opened leaks. Golden LEAF Disaster Recovery Grant Program funds were used to enable a professional assessment of the issue to identify the specific damage and recommended solutions.
