CWSNC Keeps Commitment as Emergency Operator and Improves Kinnakeet Shores Wastewater System

Charlotte, N.C. – (Dec. 11, 2023) – Carolina Water Service of North Carolina (CWSNC) is celebrating continued improvement to the Kinnakeet Shores Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) after being appointed the emergency operator by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) just a little over a year ago.

The local utility continues to upgrade the WWTP which serves about 180 properties in Kinnakeet Shores, as well as the Hatteras Island Plaza, the Avon Post Office and other nearby commercial buildings. Repairs and upgrades were made to the critical pumps, clarifier drives, lift station pumps and electrical systems and emergency generators. Work has begun to also upgrade the filter system. As a result, the NCUC and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) have lifted the moratorium on new construction and acknowledged CWSNC.

Don Denton, Senior Vice President for CWSNC, commended his team and the regional engineering firm McKim & Creed, Inc. which partnered with CWSNC on investment planning needs. He said, “Being appointed the emergency operator was a vote of confidence for our team and the service we deliver across the state for public health and safety. I am proud of our team for stepping in with a sense of urgency so residents can now trust their sanitary service and move forward with community growth.”

When the moratorium was implemented in October 2021, many property owners and developers in Kinnakeet Shores were in the process of obtaining building permits for construction projects. The sewer moratorium (with no new sewer taps, sewer extensions or additional flow) was placed on the Kinnakeet Shores’ WWTP per the authority of North Carolina General Statute 143-215.67. Prior to that date, inspections conducted by the Division of Water Resources revealed severe deficiencies existed in areas of the operation and maintenance of the WWTP. As a result, the final effluent being discharged from the WWTP was undertreated, not meeting limits established in the permit, and threatening water quality. A determination was made that the WWTP could not adequately treat additional waste, and therefore a moratorium was imposed upon any new flow being introduced to the WWTP.

In August 2022, the NCUC assigned CWSNC as the emergency operator. Last month, the moratorium on new construction was lifted, and the work of CWSNC was acknowledged by local and state agencies.

According to a memo from the Division of Water Resources at the NCDEQ, “Inspections of the facility, as well as self-monitoring data reported, have documented significant facility improvements and efforts in meeting permit conditions. Current performance at the WWTP indicates the conditions necessitating the imposition of the moratorium have been remediated, and the WWTP now has both the hydraulic and operational capacity to accommodate additional flow.”

The memo continued, “In light of these findings, the Division of Water Resources hereby removes the moratorium placed on the Kinnakeet Shores’ WWTP. Carolina Water is encouraged to continue its efforts to maintain and improve the wastewater treatment plant as it endeavors to provide quality wastewater treatment services.”

Denton said, “I’m proud to be a part of the local wastewater team and the great work they do day in and out! We are proud to serve Kinnakeet Shores and to be a key part of the community’s growth and development moving forward.”