CFPUA accepts $35 million state loan, awards $13 million contract for Southside Wastewater Plant replacement

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — CFPUA is moving forward with their Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant replacement project after accepting a $35 million loan.

The board voted to accept the low-interest loan from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Division of Water Infrastructure for the project.  

CFPUA says this loan (1.76 percent) from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund will lower the overall amount CFPUA will have to borrow for this project and could reduce the project’s impact on the rates CFPUA customers pay for service. 

The board also voted to award a $13,067,660 contract to Crowder Construction Company for Phase 1 Services for the Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant Replacement and Upgrade Project.  

The project will replace CFPUA’s existing Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was constructed in 1972.  The project will also expand its treatment capacity from 12 million gallons per day (MGD) to 16 MGD.  

Phase 1 services for the design-build project includes, but is not limited to, an engineering report, site survey, 75 percent design specifications and drawings, permits acquisition, constructability reviews, sustainability and grant evaluations, and other pre-construction work. The $13 million value of Phase 1 is approximately 5.4 percent of the project’s budget of $240 million. 

Phase 1 is expected to be completed by July 2025, with construction expected to be completed by the start of 2030.