It’s easy to see how multiple groups working together toward a common objective might accomplish more than either one on its own. Let’s say your local mountain bike group wants to build a trail in some public woods. On their own, they don’t have a loud voice, but if a hiking club with shared objectives joins the campaign, the voice grows and so do the odds of attaining the goal. Add another stakeholder and the voice grows even stronger.
In the municipal world it’s a little more complicated, but the upside can be even greater. And since water knows no boundaries, be they shorelines, basements or city limits, partnerships can go a long way in taking a broader approach to management.
Charlotte Water in Charlotte, North Carolina, profiled in this issue, is a great example. The utility has begun construction of a $380 million wastewater treatment facility to prepare for projected population growth.
The Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility will expand the water and wastewater utility’s service footprint westward to the neighboring communities of Mount Holly and Belmont. Without the Stowe facility, the utility would have to upgrade an extensive portion of its collections system and replace more than 20 miles of wastewater sewer lines at considerable cost and disruption to the community. Since the facility will also serve Mount Holly and Belmont, it will eliminate the need to replace aging wastewater treatment infrastructure in those communities. It is a more cost-effective, efficient and environmentally friendly solution for all involved.
Interestingly, the new treatment plant couldn’t exist without the partnership. Without their permits, there wouldn’t be any allocations left for the Stowe facility to discharge treated water.
About 200 miles south of Charlotte, the Mount Pleasant Waterworks in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, knows the value of municipal cooperation, too. The utility recently connected its system to neighboring Charleston through a new line bored under the Intracoastal Waterway to nearby Sullivan’s Island. The connection reduces Mount Pleasant’s reliance on the Charleston Aquifer and gives each community an alternative water source in emergency situations. The communities split the $8.5 million cost of the project, which included 5,000 feet of 18-inch-diameter steel pipe.
The utility took working for the common good in another direction last year when two water treatment plants failed in Jackson, Mississippi. After flooding crippled the already-struggling facilities, experts from outside the state raced to help. A four-person team from Mount Pleasant was among the first to arrive.
Whether in the case of emergency or in the context of better planning and development, both Charlotte and Mount Pleasant provide excellent examples of how far cooperation and partnerships can go in helping you meet your objectives. I hope you find some inspiration in their stories.
