LENOIR, NC (August 27, 2021) — Several City Council members took a tour of the City’s water treatment and wastewater treatment plants earlier this week to see upgrades made at the facilities.
During the past few years, the City has made millions of dollars in improvements to both plants. City Council has made it a priority to maintain and update the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure with the goal of being prepared and planning ahead.
At the Water Treatment Plant, the City has built two new water filters and an Acti Flo mechanical pretreatment system; built a new chemical storage building and installed new pumps, piping, and a new SCADA system; installed new generators and made upgrades to the electrical system at the plant. The Water Treatment Plant can provide a guaranteed 12 million gallons of water a day.
At the Lower Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, the City replaced the old sludge drying system with a new, state-of-the-art Gryphon Dryer system. The dryer reduced the waste sludge treatment time from four hours to about half an hour. After going through the dryer at ~300 degrees for about 30 minutes, sludge from the City’s wastewater treatment plant is 99% dry, pasteurized, and free from bacteria. It’s a class-A product that can be put on hayfields or used as a soil amendment.
Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Kevin Matheson gave a tour of the Water Treatment Plant, and Public Utilities Director Radford Thomas gave a tour of the Gryphon Dryer at the Lower Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, after the Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
Mayor Joe Gibbons, Mayor Pro Tem Crissy Thomas, and Councilmen Ike Perkins, David Stevens, and Ben Willis toured the facilities along with several City staff.
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