By Staff
Planning to work with Washington to find a solution
By CLAUD HODGES
Senior Reporter
CHOCOWINITY — The Board of Commissioners on Monday asked Mayor Jimmy Mobley to meet with Washington’s city manager before the town’s April meeting to determine if Washington can meet the town’s sewage-treatment needs.
Chocowinity and Washington have an agreement that allows Chocowinity to pump up to 304,000 gallons of wastewater daily to Washington’s wastewater-treatment facility.
The town’s sewer study, conducted by Rivers and Associates, a Greenville engineering firm, was discussed at the board’s meeting at the Chocowinity Municipal Building.
According to Mark Garner, a spokesman for Rivers and Associates, Chocowinity’s sewer system will be nearing its capacity during the next several years. The town’s growth is taxing its sewer system, Garner said.
The sewer study recommends that Chocowinity representatives meet with the Washington officials to discuss the overall projected demands on the Chocowinity sewer system, how those demands affect the Washington sewer system, improvements potentially necessary to the Washington system to accommodate Chocowinity’s projected demands and the routing of a proposed 12-inch force main from Chocowinity to transport increased flows to the Washington system in the future.
Albritton said he believes it is necessary that Chocowinity and Washington have a written agreement on the matter.
According to the study, immediate improvements needed to accommodate Chocowinity’s wastewater-treatment needs will cost the town approximately $800,000.
Garner said the study recommends Chocowinity build a new regional pump station near the intersection of Old Blounts Creek Road and N.C. Highway 33 east of Chocowinity to accommodate the town’s present and short-term wastewater treatment needs. The cost for that project is approximately $2.2 million.
The study recommends the town upgrade its Bragaw Lane pump station at a cost of approximately $900,000.
In addition, Garner said the study recommends the town install a computerized system to keep track of wastewater movement throughout its sewer system.
He said time is a major factor in the decision-making process concerning the sewer system.