Raleigh approves $23.9M contract for Little Creek Resource Recovery Facility upgrades

Raleigh approves $23.9M contract for Little Creek Resource Recovery Facility upgradesThe Raleigh City Council has awarded a major rehabilitation contract for the Zebulon-based wastewater treatment plant, funding the work in part by reallocating $13.3 million from a paused facility upgrade in Wake Forest.

T.A. Loving Company secured the $23.9 million Contract 2 to retrofit Equalization Basin No. 1 into a biological treatment basin at the 2.2 MGD Little Creek Resource Recovery Facility.

To fund the project, the city transferred $13.3 million from the Smith Creek Resource Recovery Facility project, which is currently undergoing additional evaluation to identify lower-cost solutions.

Council also approved $10.5 million in master service agreements for on-call sanitary sewer easement clearing to maintain compliance with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality permits.

The City of Raleigh is moving forward with significant investments in its wastewater treatment and collection systems, following the City Council's approval of multiple major contracts on September 15. The centerpiece of the approvals is a $23,928,010 contract awarded to T.A. Loving Company for the second phase of the Little Creek Resource Recovery Facility (LCRRF) Rehabilitation and Replacement Project. The 2.2 million-gallon-per-day facility, located in the Town of Zebulon, is owned and operated by Raleigh Water under a merger agreement. Contract 2 will retrofit the facility's existing Equalization Basin No. 1 to operate as a biological treatment basin. This conversion is designed to facilitate continuous operations during the second phase of construction and provide additional biological treatment resiliency. The scope of work also includes the installation of new aerators, pumps, gates, mixing systems, and chemical storage and feed systems, alongside structural and electrical improvements. Construction is anticipated to begin in December 2026 and last approximately 36 months. To finance the LCRRF upgrades, the council approved a $13.3 million budget transfer from the Smith Creek Resource Recovery Facility Upgrades project in Wake Forest. According to city staff, the Smith Creek project will not move forward this fiscal year as originally planned, allowing time for additional evaluations to identify lower-cost solutions. In addition to the treatment plant upgrades, the council authorized $10.5 million in master service agreements for on-call easement clearing services across Raleigh Water's 1,200-mile sanitary sewer collection system. Maintaining these easements—typically by clearing a 20-foot path to allow excavator access—is a requirement of the utility's collection system permit issued by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The three-year easement clearing contracts were awarded to Xylem Tree Care ($3 million), Timberline Forestry, LLC ($3 million), and Lineberger's Tree Service ($4.5 million). The projects will be funded at a rate of $2.1 million annually through the utility's operating budget.