KANNAPOLIS —City leaders have asked the state’s permission to table plans for upgrading the city’s water treatment plant while Kannapolis and other cities study potential water sources.
Kannapolis and Concord city councils will meet jointly at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Kannapolis Country Club. A major point of discussion will be a potential deal to buy treated water from Stanly County.
The city originally expected to submit plans to the state this month for approximately $14 million in upgrades to increase capacity at the plant and bring it up to modern standards. Now, the city has asked to delay those plans until June.
The city hasn’t gotten formal approval for that request but has gotten word through the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Mooresville that approval likely is coming.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not going to do that upgrade, it just means that we’re going to table it for a while,” Kannapolis Mayor Ray Moss said. “We want to look at some alternative raw water sources.”
One potential source is Badin Lake in Albemarle. In a venture that would partner Kannapolis with Concord and Albemarle, the city would get treated water from one of Albemarle’s two treatment plants, reducing the capacity needed at the plant here.
Another possibility is buying raw water piped into southern Rowan County from the Yadkin River in a deal with the county and Carolina Power & Light, which is building a power plant in western Rowan.
The state has required the city to perform some upgrades at the water treatment plant, such as expanding the settling area to remove solid substances from the water.
A study commissioned by the city found that the plant, built in 1965, needs about $14 million in improvements to treat up to 15 million gallons a day.
A contract the city entered into with Fieldcrest Cannon, now Pillowtex, when the city bought the plant in 1989, calls for the company to pay some portion for renovations. But with the company in bankruptcy, city and company officials say they don’t know if Pillowtex will be able — or liable — to help pay for the improvements.
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