Faced with population growth, limited infrastructure, decreasing water supplies and environmentally sensitive coastal waters, Onslow County, N.C., is taking a centralized approach to wastewater management in the Stump Sound service area.
The Onslow Water & Sewer Authority (ONWASA) is acquiring existing localized facilities and acreage, developing a regional reclaimed water facility, and enhancing current facilities.
The approach will ultimately make life easier for ONWASA operators by eliminating the need for new on-site package treatment plants to serve individual developments. It will also improve effluent quality from existing plants.
A water reclamation system scheduled for start-up this year will treat wastewater from the Holly Ridge community and future developments. More improvements will be made in the next few years, with the ultimate goal of creating a regional wastewater treatment solution.
“A regional wastewater approach will improve water quality by allowing ONWASA to manage wastewater and reclaimed water resources,” says Frank Sanders, engineering director. “Even more important, it will stop the proliferation of individual on-site wastewater treatment plants, owned and maintained by homeowner associations, contract operators or private utilities, at every new coastal development.”
While Sanders and the operations staff look forward to the program’s completion, their biggest hurdle is finding ways to fund the various projects. “We’re waiting to hear whether we will get federal stimulus package funding for one project,” he says. “Another project was cancelled because the Clean Water Management Trust Fund money was frozen. So, it’s a challenge.”
