This quarter, Cary completed the new walls, windows, and roof for the 1,100-square-foot addition to Fire Station 4. The new dormitories, bathrooms, and kitchen have taken shape, including new showers, tile flooring, and cabinetry, while the new bifold apparatus bay doors have been installed. Crews will soon begin painting and installing flooring throughout the station. Construction is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2025.

Two Fire employees attended the Women in Fire 2024 International Conference in September for an extraordinary opportunity to train and network with over 500 other women of ranks from firefighter to fire chief. Firefighters Victoria Donahue and Sophia Cooley took “Nozzle Forward,” a highly sought-after hands-on engine company hose-handling class that teaches advanced tactics on how to, individually and as a team, move hose lines of different sizes while flowing water. Handling and moving hose lines while flowing water is one of the most taxing jobs there is on a fire scene, and this class gave them the skills and techniques to confidently accomplish this task and, by using their bodies and friction points to conserve energy, move and control the lines more efficiently. 

Class time was also dedicated to covering leadership topics and tactics applicable at any rank. The class and conference have already proved to be of great value to their personal and professional lives, and they plan to continue paying it forward by sharing the knowledge and skills gained. The Women in Fire conference is a rare occasion for many female firefighters to train with other women in an energetic and team-oriented atmosphere.

On Sept. 21, Police hosted Public Safety Day. The event was held at Town Hall campus with some exciting new partnerships — representatives from radio’s 96.1 BBB FM were in attendance and provided live music. Listeners to the station in the weeks leading up to Public Safety Day heard commercials for the event. Over 30 public safety entities participated this year, including the North Carolina State University Police Department and their horses, the Garner Police Department, and many more. 

In advance and in the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in September, Cary staff stepped up to help the residents of western North Carolina. Eight highly skilled swiftwater rescue team members were sent to assist relief efforts, first in Lenoir in Caldwell County and then in Banner Elk in Avery County. In addition, Fire answered the Asheville Fire Department’s urgent statewide call for assistance by sending nine staff, along with a pumper truck, an aerial ladder truck, and a battalion chief vehicle, to help this hard-hit community. Cary crews operated out of Asheville fire stations to provide its firefighters the opportunity to take time off and check on their families and personal belongings. Police assembled an 11-person team to assist with security in the Asheville area. Two Utilities staff members and Deputy Police Chief Shawn Anderson served in the state Emergency Operations Center. Deputy Fire Chief Michael Martin joined an Incident Management Team in Polk County, and 311 Assistant Director Carolyn Roman deployed to Buncombe County to assist in a public information officer role. Utilities and Public Works also sent equipment and provided vehicles to transport it to help affected municipalities.

On July 1, 1984, the North Cary Wastewater Treatment Plant began operations, marking a pivotal moment in Cary’s pursuit of utility independence and environmental sustainability. Originally built with 4 million gallons per day (MGD) capacity, the facility has undergone several expansions to accommodate Cary’s growing population. Today, it operates at a capacity of 12 MGD and has earned recognition from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality for its exceptional quality effluent, consistently achieving some of the best nutrient removal rates in the state. A major milestone came in 2001 when the North Cary Water Reclamation Facility became North Carolina’s first permitted reclaimed water distribution system. This not only reduced nutrient loading to the river but also provided residents with a clean alternative water source for irrigation. This year, Cary celebrates the 40th anniversary of the North Cary Wastewater Treatment Plant — a testament to Cary’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and innovative water management.

In August, the Western Wake Regional Water Reclamation Facility marked a significant milestone with its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, Cary has embraced advanced industry technologies, enabling high efficiencies in nutrient removal and biosolids treatment processes. Cary’s regional partnership with the Town of Apex has been instrumental in reaching shared goals and emphasizes how stakeholder collaboration and relationships strengthen the community.

Cary’s wastewater utility continues to perform at the highest level, as documented in Cary’s Annual Wastewater Report. More than 200 staff work around the clock to maintain over 1,000 miles of sewer mains, 28,500 manholes, 42 pump stations, and three water reclamation facilities. Cary’s newest pump station, Winding Pine, is in the final construction phase and will provide additional wastewater capacity to support western Cary, the Wake County portion of Research Triangle Park, and Chatham County next quarter. Visit carync.gov/wastewaterreport to view the report online.

In September, Cary staff partnered with Kim Lundgren Associates to present “Innovating Climate-Ready Communities” at the 2024 Public Works Expo in Atlanta. The presentation showcased Cary’s forward-thinking environmental initiatives, including alternative-fuel fleet vehicles, green stormwater infrastructure with flood sensors, strategies from the Urban Forest Master Plan, and smart solar project selections for municipal facilities. These initiatives highlight Cary’s continued commitment to sustainability and the environment through thoughtful collaboration across departments.

The Annual Water Main Replacement Project continued in the first quarter with the completion of water main connections along Downing Glen Drive, Midland Valley Way, and Elmhaven Way that support looping and system resiliency. About 1,200 feet of new water and sewer main along Boyd Street was installed. Service line connections at Kingswood Elementary, which were paused at the start of the school year, are now moving forward. As part of this project, several galvanized steel water services have been replaced with copper to aid in Cary’s compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper rule revisions. The final project area is the Oakwood Heights neighborhood, where water main replacement work is just beginning. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.

Under a separate contract, a second water main replacement project is underway on Turquoise Creek Drive. This work started in July after being expedited due to several premature water main breaks. Since the start of construction, the contractor has replaced approximately 700 linear feet of water main and 300 linear feet of sewer main. This project is also expected to be completed in the summer of 2025. 

Since starting its meter replacement project in February 2024, Cary has switched out more than 5,500 commercial and residential meters. This effort marks a significant milestone in upgrading infrastructure and improving service efficiency. The project has involved meticulous planning and coordination
to minimize customer disruptions while ensuring timely and accurate installations. By modernizing the metering system, Cary is enhancing operational performance and positioning itself for continued success in delivering reliable and accurate water service.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper rule revisions are an effort to eliminate lead in drinking water and require all water systems to submit an inventory of the service line materials. This quarter, Cary completed two major requirements by publishing its water service line inventory online and submitting the results to the state. 

This inventory includes the public side between the main and the meter and the private side between the meter and the building. Cary’s system has about 75,000 total service line connections, including ones in Morrisville, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and the Wake County portion of Research Triangle Park. Cary has been working toward compliance since 2020, when the rule revisions were released. Hundreds of residents participated in helping to identify the material type of their service line. Field investigations and historical records were used to determine the service line material at locations that could not be verified. As a result of this three-year evaluation and analysis, Cary’s service line inventory was submitted with zero lead service lines.

Cary’s service line inventory is available at carync.gov/servicelineinventory. Residents can search by their address and view service line material. While this regulatory milestone is complete, regular updates of the service line inventory, along with school and daycare water sampling, will be required under the pending lead and copper rule improvements.

Cary’s Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) grant program launched earlier this year. Since then, 31 resident interest forms have been submitted online. The grant reimburses up to $5,000 for eligible GSI measures installed on private properties or subdivisions that don’t have an existing stormwater control measure. To date, three project proposals have been submitted and approved for construction, with the first new device supported by this grant program completed in early August. As interest in the GSI grant program grows, the community’s ability to manage stormwater runoff and improve water quality will continue to improve. 

At the American Public Works Association-N.C. stormwater conference, Charles Brown and Emily Cochran presented on the evolution of Cary’s post-construction program, highlighting its growth since its inception in 2001. They showcased key milestones, emphasizing how the program has expanded to meet increasing regulatory demands and development, and shared several success stories from the program and valuable lessons learned. Through this outreach, Cary aims to inspire continuous improvement and collaboration in stormwater management across the state.