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McAlpine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is Platinum…Again

Each year, NACWA recognizes the commitment, innovation and achievements of individuals and public agencies in the clean water community through their Award Programs.

NACWA stands for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. Each year NACWA presents their Peak Performance Awards. The Peak Performance Awards recognizes NACWA member agency facilities for excellence in permit compliance. Award recipients are recognized at NACWA’s Utility Leadership Conference & Annual Meeting.

Charlotte Water’s largest wastewater treatment plant, McAlpine Creek received a Platinum Award for the 10th straight year. The Platinum Award recognizes the water agencies who demonstrated 100% compliance with permits over a consecutive five-year period.

As Charlotte Water’s largest wastewater management plant, McAlpine has a daily treatment capacity of 64 million gallons per day (MGD).  Charlotte Water has five wastewater treatment plants that treat an average of 88 Million gallons of wastewater per day, combined.

In addition to McAlpine Creek, McDowell Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant also received the NACWA Peak Performance Platinum Award. Mallard, Irwin and Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plants received the gold award. For a full list of awards given to Charlotte Water, visit our website.

Ever wondered how we treat your wastewater?

Diagram titled in white caps font Waste Water Treatment at top left describes the workflow of waste water treatment from residential home on its 10 step journey to the waterways. Landscape of the diagram is blue sky at the top, green space representing grass in the middle and the bottom depicts a water way connecting to a lake. All the structures described are using a graphic design of navy blue and light blue tones representing any body of water aspect, all pipes connecting everything are olive green. 1- residential home wit white caps font below it, Waste Water From Home Enters Sanitary Sewer; 2 - large gravity filter structure with tank is identified with white caps font as Primary Treatment: Grit Removal gravity pulls larger particles to the bottom and Primary Clarifier solids are separated from water by settling to the bottom of the clarifier; two green pipes leave that structure, one is item 3 - white caps font Sludge Solids move to the digester as identified by line pointing to green pipeline and the other is item 4 - white caps font Liquid and Small Solids point to another section of green pipe; from there material move through to two basins 5 - Aeration Basins: Air is circulated and bugs clean and move phosphorus and nitrates, the moving into item 6, Secondary Clarifier-Additional solids are separated from the liquid and piped back to the biosolids digester; from there the material follows the pipeline to item 7: Efficient Filtration in a round tank to filter out any small particles is followed by a trip to item 8: a tank for Disinfection with either UV or Chlorine and from there the pure water goes out to natural water source such as a lake. Now moving back to that second pipe routing to item 3; that material moves to item 9, a large round tank identified as a Digester- a bacterial process called digestion is used to reduce the amount of organic matter and the number of disease causing microorganisms; from that tank the material travels to a pipe to item 10, a building with a tank identified for Dewatering, the last bit of water is removed from the biosolids before it is loaded onto trucks where it will seek its final stop as Biosolids, used as a soil amendment and organic fertilizer for crops not used for human consumption. At very bottom right order of diagram is Charlotte Water logo in white font.

Waste water treatment travels from your home, place of business or school through 4,300 miles of wastewater pipes to our treatment plants. The wastewater is separated into liquids and solids. The liquids are cleaned and put back into our creeks and streams, the solids are converted to biosolids.  Biosolids are nutrient-rich byproducts of wastewater treatment.

Whether it’s at McAlpine or at our four other wastewater treatment plants, staff at Charlotte Water work around the clock to make sure your wastewater is treated safely and properly. We are platinum strong!

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