Union County’s Water and Wastewater systems presently serve an aggregate of approximately 58,000 water and 44,200 wastewater customers. The collection system piping is comprised of both gravity sewer and force mains with pipe diameters ranging from 4 inches to 48 inches. Union County’s wastewater collection and treatment system currently includes approximately 19,180 manholes, 710 miles of gravity sewer pipe, 75 miles of sewer force main, 60 wastewater lift stations, and 5 WRFs. The County is located along the North Carolina/South Carolina state line southeast of the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Water and wastewater service needs are increasing in the County. Continued growth drives the need to analyze, plan, design and construct improvements to the water and wastewater systems, including the WRFs. The Master Plan, CIP, and WRF Assessments identify projects at the WRFs that must be implemented to meet present and future demands in addition to the proposed development of a Bio-Solids Master Plan. The WRFs range in size from .05 MGD to 7.5 MGD, providing a total treatment capacity of 9.65 MGD. The County also has 2.65 MGD and 3.0 MGD of contracted capacity in the City of Monroe’s wastewater treatment plant and Charlotte Mecklenburg Utility’s McAlpine Creek Wastewater Management Facility, respectively. The County is currently expanding its largest WRF, the Twelve Mile WRF, from 7.5 MGD to 9 MGD with construction scheduled to be completed in 2027. The Grassy Branch WRF is currently being expanded to 0.120 MGD with construction scheduled to be completed in 2026. Additionally, the County is currently completing rehab and renewal projects at the 1.9 MGD Crooked Creek WRF.
