Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility construction site
It feels so good to witness a dream becoming a reality! Incredible progress has been made this year on our new wastewater treatment plant, the transformational Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility. Construction is already 25 percent complete!
We broke ground on this state-of-the-art facility in June thanks to a strong regional partnership with the Cities of Belmont and Mount Holly. More than 200 guests were in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony, including our esteemed guest speakers Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles; Dr. Wenonah Haire, Executive Director, and DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren, Tribal Consultant, from the of the Catawba Cultural Center and Catawba Nation; John Nicholson, Chief of Staff of the EPA Southeast Region; and Shadi Eskaf, Director of Water Infrastructure at NC Department of Environmental Quality; and Angela Charles, Director of Charlotte Water. Watch our commemorative video about the project’s history.
Stowe Groundbreaking Ceremony, pictured left to right: Shadi Eskaf, Mayor Vi Lyles, Angela Charles, John Nicholson.
Located along the Catawba River close to where it meets Long Creek, Stowe Facility is on track to be fully operational in 2026 and serve northwestern Mecklenburg County and eastern Gaston County. Initially, the Stowe Facility will have the capacity to process 15 million gallons of wastewater daily, which will eventually grow to 25 million gallons. This is significant considering Stowe’s service area population is expected to grow 136 percent between 2014 and 2034 from 75,226 to 177,166 residents.
One major benefit of the project is that it will replace two aging municipal water treatment plants in Belmont and Mount Holly with one new one, reducing the amount of discharge recycled back into the Catawba River. Stowe Facility also will be able to provide more economic and sustainable wastewater management services to our customers, while safeguarding the ability to treat and manage future wastewater flow projections. By using the latest technologies and cutting-edge treatment techniques to clean and purify wastewater, water recycled back into the natural environment will be near drinking water quality. The project likewise includes a preserved 90-acre parcel of land adjacent to the property to protect wildlife, which will feature walking trails for the community’s benefit.
Mount Holly Pump Station construction site
In 2023. we made significant progress on various construction projects associated with Stowe Facility, including the Stowe Influent Pump Station and Headworks and Long Creek Pump Station, Stowe Access Road and Bridge, Belmont Pump Station and Force Mains, Mount Holly Pump Station and laying wastewater pipelines. Additionally, we reached a historic milestone by introducing our inaugural Stowe Facility team members. Doug Shoutd will serve as the facility’s first Supervisor while Tara Romaine will be its first Chief Operator. Congratulations to you both! Get to know Stowe’s First Staff in this short interview video.
Stowe Facility made waves in the media as more people learned about the project and its merits. We received coverage in Municipal Sewer & Water Magazine, Queen City News, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Business Journal, and Engineering News-Record, among others. Our dedicated team spread the word in person too, traveling to present about the project at events like the Design-Build Institute of America Conference in the spring and the American Water Works Association NC One Water Conference in the fall. Closer to home, we were pleased to interact with more than 1,200 community members at local events this year such as the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation’s Catawba Riversweep and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services’ Creek Week. Also, we continued to partner with local schools via our STEAM initiative. One special highlight was attending Whitewater Middle School’s Career Fair in May to speak with students about pursuing careers in science and engineering. What a great way to engage with the next generation!
Whitewater Middle School Career Fair
We invite you to check out the Stowe 2023 Wrapped video and newsletter to learn more about Stowe Facility’s groundbreaking ceremony, construction highlights, new hires, press coverage, community events and plans for flowing smoothly into 2024: https://bit.ly/stowe2023wrapped. For more information about Stowe Facility, and to sign up for project updates, visit https://stoweregionalwrrf.com.
We can’t wait to experience the next set of milestones on this important project! Happy New Year!
Lakeview Road is open! Charlotte Water (CLTWater) recently removed the closure and traffic measures along Statesville Road near Lakeview Road, as crews worked on a large water main opening along the roadway.
The work, related to the Water Transmission Mains Improvement & Repairs (WTMIR) Program, began Monday, July 24, and lasted a couple weeks. While traffic measures like detours and lane closures are sometimes frustrating, they are necessary for the safety of work crews and the public. In this case, the water main work happened parallel to other construction activities in the area. Thus, protecting people as well as the project was a priority.
Construction foreman removing cracked pieces of the pipe’s outer layer to assess the condition of the inner steel pipe.
Planning for any construction project while continuing to maintain access for nearby businesses, residents and motorists, can be complicated. It also takes a team effort. Before the project work begins, CLTWater collaborates closely with several different groups, such as state and city partners like NCDOT, CDOT, and other construction projects, to compare traffic plans and discuss ways to mitigate potential impacts as best as possible. This is all part of the important work CLTWater continues to do daily to provide clean, safe and reliable water across the Charlotte region.
Crew members are guiding the equipment operator on where to dump stone into the trench. While fixing the pipe, stone is added in the trench to combat the wet conditions.
Protecting and strengthening the CLTWater system is an important part of the daily work crews do. In the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, Charlotte Water designated millions of dollars towards the systemwide repairs and improvements, designed to update some of the oldest infrastructure throughout the system.
View of the existing pipe that is damaged. The wires pictured around the pipe are called “reinforcing steel wires.” They help keep the inner steel pipe from failing when there is pressure on the line. When the outside layer of mortar cracks over time, it allows the reinforcing steel wires to be exposed to the elements. After some time, the wires will begin to rust and break. This leaves the inner pipe without reinforcement and can eventually cause a line break.
In 2015, CLTWater completed a Water Transmission Mains Assessment, which evaluated some high-risk pipe composition across the water system that could need replacement. Transmission mains are the highways of water distribution; they are large pipes that convey water from pump stations or treatment plants to the neighbor distribution water lines. Since 2019, additional assessments identified various improvements needed to optimize the function and resiliency of the existing water transmission system.
The WTMIR Program is a combination of various replacement and installation projects across the water system, grouped under an umbrella of work designed to improve the water system. The Program is broken down into Zone Areas throughout the CLTWater service area. Each Zone Area will consist of various design and construction projects, which may or may not occur simultaneously.
When a pipe is damaged, workers will cut out the bad section and replace it with a stronger, more durable, pipe. The pipe pictured here is called Ductile Iron Pipe (or DIP). This is the finished replacement.
The importance of the WTMIR Program is to ensure water continues to flow to customers and reduces future emergency repairs that lead to unplanned water outages and traffic disruption.
Work has already been completed in several areas along Old Statesville Road, with upcoming work along Peachtree Rd, Oakdale Rd and other areas expected later this year.
Charlotte Water and its contractors have begun construction on the Clarke Creek Pump Station and Force Main Project. Wastewater generated from portions of Northeastern Mecklenburg County currently flows to the Water & Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC). Due to an increase in development and demand in the area, it is necessary to build a new facility to divert a portion of the Clarke Creek Basin flow to the McDowell Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant instead.
Pumping a portion out of the Clarke Creek Basin will allow for new development to continue and will ensure ongoing, reliable service for CLTWater customers.
PROJECT UPDATES
A Public Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: North County Regional to discuss the project and answer questions. A copy of the presentation that was reviewed during this meeting can be reviewed below.
For questions, please contact the CLTWater Project Manager, Samuel Wally at Samuel.wally@charlottenc.gov or 704.315.8129.
UPCOMING WORK
This Summer, CLTWater will begin clearing easements (commonly known as the right-of-way) near the North Mecklenburg Recycling Center.
Clearing activities involve removing natural growth and debris so that the area is accessible to the project team.
All activities will occur at least 200ft. away from residential properties in the Plum Creek Neighborhood. The work in this area is anticipated to be completed by the end of Fall 2023.
PROJECT DOCUMENTS
Clarke Creek Pump Station and Force Main Project Pre-Construction Mailer
A conversation with Charlotte Water
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