Mission, Purpose, Program

The mission of the Western Wake Regional Water Reclamation Facility (WWRWRF) is to treat wastewater to a level that surpasses established environmental permit standards while maintaining 100 percent compliance with all regulatory program limits. Our goal is to accomplish this mission in a cost-effective manner while promoting a safe, team–oriented work environment that emphasizes quality workmanship, high professional standards and continuous improvement. The WWRWRF staff is committed to serving the community by achieving high standards for wastewater treatment and being a good neighbor to the communities surrounding the plant.

The WWRWRF is:

• Rated as an 18 million gallon per day (MGD) wastewater treatment facility.
• Designed to remove Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Total Suspended Solids, Total Nitrogen compounds, Total Phosphorous compounds, turbidity agents, and other undesirable constituents from Plant influent.
• Releases highly treated and clean wastewater back to the natural environment.

Laboratory

The WWRWRF laboratory staff ensures compliance with the Town and EPA/NCDEQ’s standards for wastewater treatment by performing analysis in an on-site laboratory, which is equipped with the latest technology for providing precise and accurate data. The data generated by the laboratory is used by operations staff to make process control decisions to ensure optimum wastewater treatment process performance. The WWRWRF laboratory is audited and certified annually by the NCDEQ Laboratory Certification Branch.

Process

Wastewater treatment begins on-site with preliminary treatment, which consists of mechanical screening and grit removal of influent wastewater. Secondary treatment is provided through a five stage process, which is a modified version of the Virginia Initiative Process for biological  removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. The WWRWRF has four separate trains that provide advanced secondary treatment. Clarification immediately follows the secondary treatment process basins. This is where treated wastewater effluent is separated from the microorganisms, in the form of solids, through a settling process. These microorganisms (or biosolids) are either recirculated back to the secondary treatment process basins or wasted to the solids  handling process. Tertiary treatment of the effluent is provided through filters and then ultraviolet disinfection is utilized for final pathogen disinfection. Finally, the the treated wastewater is aerated in the post aeration basin before being pumped to the Cape Fear River.

Effluent from the treatment process is pumped through an 11-mile pipeline to the discharge location, downstream of Buckhorn Dam on the Cape Fear River. Additional aeration of the final effluent is provided through a cascade aeration structure before final release to the Cape Fear River. A portion of the final effluent is conveyed to the WWRWRF reclaimed water facility for chlorine disinfection before further use in on-site plant processes and bulk water applications.

Solids drying occurs when biosolids are thickened with gravity belt thickeners and dewatered with belt filter presses to reach a form solid consistency. The dewatered biosolids are stored temporarily prior to thermal biosolids drying which is accomplished through belt drying technology. The thermal biosolids dryer produces dried pellets, which are hauled offsite by an outside vendor to be applied as an agricultural soil amendment. The WWRWRF Solids Handling Facility produces Class A, Exceptional Quality biosolids in compliance with EPA 503 regulations, meaning the final product can be applied in a wide variety of beneficial reuse applications, virtually free of site and use restrictions.

Contact

WWRWRF is fully staffed with 18 employees and operates 24 hours per day/7 days per week. These positions include a Facility Manager, Facility Operations Supervisor, Maintenance Supervisor, and Laboratory Supervisor.  The WWRWRF work team also consists of Plant Operations staff, Plant Maintenance staff, and Laboratory staff.

Administrative Contact Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Josh Cummings, Facility Manager 
josh.cummings@carync.gov

Jonathan Stimach, Facility Operations Supervisor                                                                                              jonathan.stimach@carync.gov

Tim Thomas, Maintenance Supervisor
tim.thomas@carync.gov

Penny Rosser, Laboratory Supervisor
penny.rosser@carync.gov

Phone: (919) 535-5640
Fax: (919) 387-7594

3500 Reclamation Road
New Hill, NC  27562
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512-8005