Leaders in two counties eye wastewater plant

The board of directors of the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority will meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Randolph County Emergency Operations Center, 760 New Century Drive in Asheboro, to discuss regional approaches to treatment capacity needs. The board previously has formed a committee to determine if there is a desire among governments in the region to work together on a wastewater strategy.

Taking a regional approach could make a new treatment plant more cost-effective by getting more governmental bodies to buy in, said Frye, who serves on the authority board.

Archdale Mayor Lewis Dorsett, who also serves on the board, said a regional plant would allow local governments in Guilford and Randolph counties to assure capacity for the long term.

The Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority was formed decades ago to build the Randleman Regional Reservoir as a water source. But the legislation that created the authority also gives it the ability to provide both water and wastewater service in the region, said Greg Flory, executive director of the authority.

“With the significant industrial projects our region has seen over the past couple years we have become involved in more and more discussions with municipalities in the region regarding both water and sewer needs,” Flory said. “One of the clear issues that has come out of these discussions is that there is a significant need for additional wastewater capacity in the region.”