Community-Focused Approach to Deliver a New Regional Treatment Facility in North Carolina

To address the growing wastewater treatment demands driven by projected population and economic growth in western Mecklenburg and eastern Gaston Counties, the Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) Project was built. This strategic initiative consolidates flows from Mount Holly, Belmont and western Mecklenburg County into a single, advanced treatment facility. The estimated $650 million project includes the construction of a new 15 million gallons per day (MGD) wastewater treatment facility, two regional pump stations with associated force mains, a bridge crossing Long Creek, and a 0.9-mile access road.

HDR serves as the owner’s advisor and program manager for Charlotte Water, providing comprehensive support across multiple phases of the Stowe WRRF Project, including:

• Technical and Regulatory Support: Development of procurement documents, cash flow planning, 401/404 permitting, value engineering, river sampling and modeling for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit renewal.
• Financial and Contractual Oversight: Leading state funding efforts, preparing parallel cost estimates, conducting cost reviews and negotiating Guaranteed Maximum Prices.
• Project Execution and Oversight: Augmenting Charlotte Water staff, reviewing technical deliverables and managing construction administration and observation.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Leading public information campaigns through a dedicated project website, videos, social media, coordination with an internal stakeholder group and a community engagement process.

Charlotte Water intends to incorporate community amenities into the project and is currently working with an external stakeholder group to determine those amenities. The project is scheduled for commissioning in 2027.