After 54 years of faithfully serving Wilmington and New Hanover County, the Southside Water Reclamation Facility is getting a much-needed replacement and expansion.  

On May 13, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Board unanimously approved the last major contract component for the Southside project. Expanding a wastewater treatment plant may not grab headlines like a new school or replacement for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. This facility and this project, however, are critical to the quality of life we all enjoy. 

At $396 million, the Southside Expansion and Replacement is by far the largest capital project in CFPUA’s nearly 20-year history. The new Southside will be built on a 30-acre parcel just south of the existing plant at 3436 River Road. It will include: 

• 2,500 piles for foundations (18 inches x 55 feet deep) 

• 38,500 cubic yards of concrete  

• 4,575 tons of structural steel reinforcement 

• 11 miles of pipe, ranging from ½ inch to 60 inches in diameter 

• 59 miles of electrical conduit 

• 310 miles of electrical wire (enough to connect Wilmington to Asheville)   

At its peak, the construction project will employ about 150 people.  

The project is much more than a facelift for the original 1972-era plant; it’s a full replacement and expansion that will bring Southside’s treatment capacity to 20 million gallons per day (MGD), a 67% increase over the existing 12 MGD facility.    

For several years, CFPUA has rerouted a portion of Southside’s wastewater flow to the more modern Northside WRF, located near the Wilmington International Airport. Once the new Southside is up and running, CFPUA can return the full flow to the facility, creating capacity to serve rapidly developing areas like Castle Hayne, Holly Shelter Road, and Sidbury Road. This strategy of rerouting flows will allow us to get ahead of growth while deferring a costly Northside facility expansion by 10 to 15 years.  

The new Southside will also have advanced technology to protect the environment and effectively treat wastewater. A treatment technology known as “sludge densification” is being added to the new Southside facility, allowing the plant to remove more nutrients from the wastewater stream. The new plant will also feature particle filtration, UV light disinfection, and advanced odor control technology.   

Being located on the Cape Fear River means that this site faces the threat of storm surge. The new Southside will be built above the 500-year flood zone, with mechanical and electrical equipment situated several feet higher. This significantly decreases the risk of inundation or sewer spills during major storms. 

The design of this project has taken two years and involved contributions from over 200 professionals, 75% of them based right here in North Carolina.  

To hold the line on project costs – and lessen rate impacts for our customers – the team undertook significant value engineering. The team successfully trimmed an estimated $105 million from the cost of this project, all without impacting performance or quality. 

CFPUA is grateful for guidance and support from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, and the Local Government Commission for helping secure nearly $200 million in low-interest Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans to finance the expansion and replacement.   

If the project keeps on schedule, the new Southside will be completed in fall 2031.   

Six decades ago, Wilmington’s leaders made an investment in our community’s future when they constructed the original Southside. CFPUA is proud to launch this project to serve the next generation.