Pender County to hold public meeting on proposed Hampstead Water Treatment Plant

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Pender Water & Sewer plans to hold a public meeting to provide more information on the proposed Membrane Water Treatment Plant in Hampstead.

As Pender Water & Sewer moves forward with the permitting phase, the department has received questions from community members regarding the planned effluent discharge associated with the project.

In response, Pender Water & Sewer is sharing key information to help inform the public ahead of an upcoming public meeting, where additional details will be presented and questions answered.

The permitted discharge flow will range from 150–500 gallons per minute, which is approximately 0.3–1.1 cubic feet per second.

Pender Water & Sewer says the discharge originates from deep groundwater, not surface water. Because minerals are naturally concentrated underground, the water is considered brackish, not seawater-saline. The primary components are naturally occurring minerals found in the aquifer.

According to a news release, only two treatment chemicals are used: a small amount of acid for pH adjustment and an antiscalant to protect the membranes—both are standard and widely used in water treatment.

The discharge contains no sediment, sludge, biological material, pathogens, or bacteria, as the source water is drawn from approximately 200 feet below ground.

The public information meeting is scheduled for January 14 at 6:00 pm. It will be held at the Pender County Hampstead Annex, 15060 US-17, Hampstead.

A complete set of sampling results and the permit application package will be available for public review.

Members of  the project team, along with the design engineers from CDM Smith, will be onsite to provide information and answer questions.