The expansion of the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant in Wilmington is nearing complete. Planning for the project began in 2005. The construction will take the plant from 25 million gallons of treated water per day to a potential 44 million gallons per day. The facility is implementing new filtration systems, including ozone and UV disinfection. The plant draws water from the Cape Fear river. All construction was done while still keeping the plant fully-operational. It is scheduled to open next April.
The expansion is designed to meet the needs of the served community as it continues to grow while also conforming to new regulations for drinking water. Many communities are updating their treatment facilities to meet regulations dealing with disinfection byproducts (DBP) and enhanced disinfection. Ozone and UV are proven technologies to manage DBP.