The Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) will be a regional approach to wastewater treatment, serving western Mecklenburg County and the Belmont and Mount Holly communities in eastern Gaston County. Scheduled for completion in 2024, this new facility is anticipated to process 15 million gallons of wastewater per day, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Wastewater from the Long Creek drainage basin – roughly the North Lake Mall area to U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) – is currently pumped about 27 miles via two pumping stations to McAlpine Creek Wastewater Management Facility in Pineville.
Simultaneously, three wastewater treatment plants currently operate alongside the same section of the Catawba River – two municipal plants in Mount Holly and Belmont and a private industrial wastewater plant. These plants are all aging and will require multiple upgrades to meet the expanding needs of our communities.
The Stowe Facility was identified in a 2007 wastewater master plan as the most feasible and cost-efficient solution for adding wastewater capacity for the Charlotte Water system. Work was initiated in 2007-2008 to find a collaborative, regional approach to wastewater treatment in the area. Upon completion, this facility will consolidate the three existing wastewater treatment plants into one state-of-the-art facility that will treat wastewater to a higher level than those currently in operation.