Public Education

WSACC Celebrates Increased Wastewater Capacity with Plant Expansion Ribbon Cutting

Cabarrus County, NC – On Thursday, October 3, 2024, the Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Phase 3 of the Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion. This milestone marks a significant enhancement in the plant’s capacity, increasing from 26.5 million gallons per day (MGD) to 30 MGD, ensuring continued support for the region’s industrial, commercial, and residential growth.

The event gathered over 75 staff and elected officials from across Cabarrus County, the WSACC board and staff, along with representatives from Crowder Construction and Brown & Caldwell Engineering.

Chad VonCannon, Executive Director of the Authority, opened the ribbon cutting with his remarks, noting the collaboration and partnerships that made this phase of the expansion so successful.

“This project is on time and under budget,” said VonCannon. “That’s not something that a lot of projects can say, especially post-Covid. It took partnerships with our board, a great engineer and contractor, DEQ and the support of our elected officials. This project is a textbook example of what happens when you get the right team with everyone aligned and working toward the same goal.”

VonCannon then introduced North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director of Legislative Affairs, Shrikar Nunna, who provided remarks on behalf of the department.

“We’ve had a great partnership with WSACC,” Nunna shared in his remarks. “We really appreciate their proactive planning. We’re not going to keep seeing the economic growth and development in our state if we don’t have proper infrastructure.”

Following Nunna’s remarks, Kannapolis City Manager and WSACC board chair Mike Legg expressed what this project meant to the municipalities across the County.

“The expansion is not just about wastewater treatment capacity,” said Legg. “This project is crucial for supporting our local economy, attracting private sector investments, creating jobs and fostering a more resilient infrastructure for our future.”

Legg then introduced Senator Paul Newton, a key partner in securing state funding for WSACC wastewater projects including phase three of the expansion and regulatory reform to bring more wastewater capacity online.

Senator Newton shared with attendees that Cabarrus County is a lifecycle county where residents can receive a great education, jobs and healthcare. “If we stop prospering as a county and as a state, people and jobs will go elsewhere,” Senator Newton said.  “Wastewater is essential for enabling smart growth.”

Following the remarks, the event speakers, key WSACC leadership, representatives from Crowder Construction and Brown & Caldwell joined staff from the Cabarrus Chamber on stage to officially cut the ribbon and celebrate the completion of phase three of the expansion.

Following the ribbon cutting, attendees were offered golf cart tours of the plant to see the areas of the expansion and the construction already underway in phase four.

Unprecedented rainfall and rapid growth experienced in 2018 prompted the WSACC to work diligently with engineering consultants to expand the plant and develop a plan for the future. With the completion of this phase, the plant now has an additional 3.5 MGD of capacity, with phase four of the expansion already underway to increase capacity another 4 MGD for a total of 34 MGD. This phase is currently expected to come online in 2027.

The Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County is an independent, incorporated, public body funded by user fees with no taxing authority supporting Cabarrus County. The Authority serves as the primary planning agent for water and sewer facilities, provides wholesale wastewater transportation and treatment for its organizing jurisdictions, and provides reservoir management for some, or all, of its jurisdictions.

WATER QUALITY STUDY OF WOLF MEADOW BRANCH AND CODDLE CREEK FOR AUGUST 26 TO 28

County Residents May Notice Non-Toxic Red Tint in the Stream

Concord, NC- From Monday, August 26 to Wednesday, August 28, Brown and Caldwell, an environmental engineering contractor for the Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County, will perform a water quality study of Wolf Meadow Branch and Coddle Creek. As part of this study, Brown and Caldwell staff will conduct a dye tracer test.

This test will involve placing a non-toxic fluorescent dye in the headwaters of Wolf Meadow Branch, and taking measurements of the dye concentration at various points downstream in Wolf Meadow Branch and Coddle Creek upstream of the confluence with the Rocky River.

The red or pink fluorescent dye might be temporarily visible in the stream, especially in Wolf Meadow Branch, prior to dilution with Coddle Creek. The purpose of the dye tracer test is to measure the velocity and time-of-travel of the water in the streams. This information will be used to calibrate a hydraulic and water quality model.

Residents may notice the red tint to the streams for few hours or a few days following the placement of the dye. This scientific study is harmless and there is no cause for concern.

“The red-colored dye used in this study is different than food dyes. It is formulated as a water tracer and has been used for decades and is approved by the EPA as harmless to people, fish, and plants when diluted at scientifically calculated concentrations, which will be employed in this study,” said Clifton Bell, Professional Engineer with Brown and Caldwell.

The Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County is an independent, incorporated, public body funded by user fees with no taxing authority supporting Cabarrus County. The Authority serves as the primary planning agent for water and sewer facilities, provides wholesale wastewater transportation and treatment for its organizing jurisdictions, and provides reservoir management for some, or all, of its jurisdictions.

Rocky River Expansion Update (April 2024)

The Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently in Phase 3 of a multi phased project that will address the need for additional capacity at the plant. When completed Phase 3 will bring the plant from 26.5 million gallons per day (MGD) to 30 MGD.

Progress with Maintenance Canopy and Parshall Flume 103:

This month, we are highlighting the progress made at the Maintenance Canopy and Parshall Flume 103.

The Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently in Phase 3 of a multi phased project that will address the need for additional capacity at the plant. When completed Phase 3 will bring the plant from 26.5 million gallons per day (MGD) to 30 MGD.
Progress with Maintenance Canopy and Parshall Flume 103:

This month, we are highlighting the progress made at the Maintenance Canopy and Parshall Flume 103.

The new Maintenance Canopy will replace the old Maintenance Canopy that had to be demolished to provide the space needed by one of the most critical structures of the expanded facility, the new Blower Building, which had to be strategically located near the new Aeration Basin No.6.

When completed, the new Maintenance Canopy will be 5,570 square feet and house a new maintenance area for the expanded facilities. Like the old structure, the new Maintenance Canopy is close to the existing Maintenance Shop allowing staff to maintain mobile equipment, trucks, and trailers under a roof and be protected from the elements.

Construction crews have finished the concrete pad and overhead structure and are turning their attention to grading the site to prepare for the asphalt roadway that will be installed to allow vehicular access. Photos below show the progress made with the Maintenance Canopy and an aerial view of the canopy as crews prepare to install the asphalt roadway.

Crews have reached another project milestone this month. Parshall Flume 103 is online and officially measuring plant effluent flow!

A Parshall flume is a hydraulic structure that was developed in the 1920s to measure irrigation water flow but has now become the most popular and reliable method of also measuring wastewater flows. A flume works by creating a restriction or a narrow throat in a straight channel carrying water. This restriction creates friction and forces the water level to rise higher, upstream of the restriction, compared to the level of the water once the restriction is cleared. There is a mathematical formula that then takes the difference in water levels and uses it to calculate flow.

Parshall Flume 103 is an L-shaped structure and was constructed around an existing 72-inch diameter pipe. Once constructed, staff and construction crews worked together to store the incoming flow in empty tanks, including the newly constructed equalization tank. This storage provided the time needed to drain the 72-inch pipe so it could be cut, removed, and a stop gate be installed to block the flow from going to the old Parshall flume and forcing it to go to the new Parshall flume.

The new Parshall Flume 103 can measure flows as high as 91 MGD and replaces the old Parshall flume 3 that could only measure flows up to 67 MGD. By successfully bringing Parshall flume 103 online, the project continues to make progress on Phase 3 upgrades to bring the plant to 30 MGD.

Crews will now turn their attention to finishing the construction of Aeration Basin No. 6 and the gravity thickeners. The photos below show Parshall Flume 103 online, from a ground view and from an aerial view overhead.

Rocky River Expansion Update (March 2024)

The Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently in Phase 3 of a multi phased project that will address the need for additional capacity at the plant. When completed Phase 3 will bring the plant from 26.5 million gallons per day (MGD) to 30 MGD.

Progress with Aeration Basin No. 6:

This month, we are highlighting the progress made with the Blower Building and drainage around the new Aeration Basin No. 6.

Crews have made progress at the Blower Building, including installing the three new turbo blowers in the process room and the necessary electrical equipment in the building’s electrical room. Crews have also completed the wiring between the new electrical gear and the new blowers.

Once Phase 3 is complete and the new facilities are online, only two of the three blowers will need to operate on a typical day to provide agitation and oxygen for highly specialized bacteria to grow and consume the impurities in wastewater. Assuming these two blowers will operate at their maximum output, they will consume approximately 9,504 kilowatt-hours per day, which is equivalent to the average power consumed by 328 homes combined.

If you think this power consumption is high, consider that the Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant treats and cleans the wastewater produced by tens of thousands of households in Cabarrus and Mecklenburg County.

Crews have also completed portions of Aeration Basin No.6, and as they wrap up that work and restore the area to grade, they are including new drainage. Similar to building a home or other structure, we need to ensure that the upgraded site adequately drains to prevent stormwater and runoff from getting too close to the new structures.

In the below photos you can see crews installing a long trench drain on the high-grade side of the new Aeration Basin No.6. This looks similar to a trench drain installed around your home or garden to send the runoff and storm water away from your house, just on a larger scale. This particular trench drain is 150 feet long and the pipe emptying it is 12 inches in diameter.

Rocky River Expansion Update

The expansion project to increase Rocky River Regional’s capacity is currently on track for completion on schedule (Summer 2024).

Full Update:

• Yard Pipe: Installing Interior 36″ Pipe at Influent Meter Vault. Continued Tie-In of 36″ ML from AB6 to Box 2A.
• Aeration Basin 6: Continued Setting Pipe Supports and Installing 24″ and 42″ Air Piping. Continued Backfilling to Grade.
• EQ Tank 1: Closed Steel Diaphragm.
• Blower Building: Continued Installing Roof Panels.
• Gravity Thickeners: Continued Excavation for Gravity Thickeners #3 and #4.
• Electrical: Continued Ductbank around Aeration Basin 6, Running Exposed Conduit at WAS Pump Station and Disinfection Building, Backfilling Ductbank TI to PMS-11-WAS. Installed Frame for TX-GEN Concrete Pad. Excavating Ductbank from Blower to NEF EQ Manhole.