The city of Marion’s Catawba River sewer treatment plant is no longer in operation, which means no more wastewater is being discharged into the Catawba River upstream from Lake James.
The Catawba River plant has been taken off-line, as part of a multi-year effort by the city to consolidate and upgrade the sewer treatment facilities. The elimination of the Catawba River plant as a wastewater treatment facility means that the city no longer has any wastewater discharge going into the Catawba River upstream from the lake.
As part of a $6.6 million project, the city constructed a pump station on the site of the former Catawba River plant, located on Bungalow Drive off of Garden Creek Road, and a force main sewer line to pump wastewater flow from the northern part of Marion to the city’s larger Corpening Creek sewer treatment plant located on N.C. 226 South. The Corpening Creek plant is also currently undergoing repairs and upgrades as part of the project. The city obtained $5.3 million in federal and state grants for this project, along with $1.3 million of long-term, no interest loan funds. The city received letters of support for the project from many organizations, including the Lake James Environmental Association, McDowell County and the N.C. Division of Water Quality.
Mayor Steve Little said, “This is a momentous occasion for the city and the culmination of years of hard work on the part of many people. The City Council and I are delighted that we have reached this point and completed this phase of the project.”
Little said Councilman and former Mayor Everette Clark deserves credit for his tireless efforts in lobbying for grant funds at the state and federal levels.
Little added that the city needed to thank other agencies who helped with the project.
“The demonstrated, written support of many organizations, especially the Lake James Environmental Association, was vital to the success of the project,” he said. “The city deeply appreciates their support and encouragement over the past few years.”
City Manager Bob Boyette said the city first announced plans to complete this project at the Town Hall meeting in January 2006.
“While the project completion has been a long time coming, the timing of the project worked out perfectly for the city to obtain every grant possible,” said Boyette. “We obtained federal stimulus funding and grants from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund and North Carolina Rural Center.”
Boyette added that the upgraded Corpening Creek plant would not have additional treatment capacity beyond the current permitted capacity of 3 million gallons per day, but would be a modern wastewater plant capable of meeting all current and future anticipated state and federal regulations.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Larry Carver said, “The consolidation of the two wastewater plants would be more efficient and save money for the city.”
He added that the Corpening Creek plant had plenty of excess capacity and could easily accommodate the additional flow from the former Catawba River plant.
“Believe it or not, the additional flow will help the Corpening Creek Plant run better,” said Carver.
Public Works Director Chris Hollifield stated that, while the project has reached an important milestone with the Catawba River plant being taken off-line, there is still a lot of work to be done for the overall project to be completed. Hollifield said that the project contractor must still demolish the former Catawba River plant and complete some final clean-up items. Work on the Corpening Creek plant should be completed by late summer.
Mayor Little said that, while the city has always worked to avoid creating any problems for Lake James with its wastewater discharge, “the importance of the elimination of a significant wastewater discharge upstream of Lake James, a treasure for our entire region, cannot be overstated. This is simply a great day for our entire community.”
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