Plans for wastewater treatment plant proceed
The Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC) is moving ahead with a major expansion of the Muddy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, a project officials say will help accommodate growth in the Midland area.
The planned expansion will more than double the plant's treatment capacity, increasing it from 0.3 million gallons per day to 0.66 million gallons per day.
WSACC recently approved the next phase of the project after completing initial planning and design work with engineering firm Brown and Caldwell. The authority selected the Harper/Hazen team through a competitive qualifications process to lead the effort using a progressive design-build approach.
That method allows engineers, contractors and regulatory agencies to collaborate early in the process, which WSACC officials say can improve efficiency and help keep projects on schedule.
As part of that approach, the project team developed a pre-construction services package that was approved by the WSACC Board at its most recent meeting. With that milestone complete, the project will continue through the design phase and move toward development of guaranteed maximum price packages.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026 and last about two years.
Rocky River expansion underway
WSACC continues work on the Phase 4 expansion of the Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will increase its capacity to 34 million gallons per day.
A key component of that project involves replacing five aging Archimedes screw pumps used to move internal mixed liquor as part of the treatment process. The upgrades are tied to a transition to a modified Ludzack-Ettinger activated sludge process, a widely used configuration for nitrogen removal.
The existing pumps, some dating back to the 1970s, have undergone maintenance and rehabilitation over the years but are now due for replacement.
The new system will include three 108-inch diameter spiral pumps, each weighing about 25,000 pounds and capable of moving 31 million gallons per day, along with two 96-inch pumps weighing roughly 17,000 pounds with a capac ity of 24 million gallons per day each.Combined, the pumps will be able to move up to 141 million gallons per day — more than the flow of the Rocky River during certain times of the year.
Work to remove the old pumps has been completed, and crews are now rehabilitating the structure in preparation for installing the new equipment.
