Report on the Wilkesboro Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade and Expansion Project

1.0 Executive Summary

The Town of Wilkesboro has approved a significant capital project to upgrade and expand its Wastewater Treatment Plant. This initiative is a strategic response to reaching 80% of the existing facility’s permitted operational capacity, a critical threshold under state regulations. The project is designed not only to meet future demand and regulatory requirements but also to align with several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on environmental protection, economic stability, and community resilience.

2.0 Project Drivers and Objectives

The primary impetus for the project is the need to increase wastewater treatment capacity to prevent a state-mandated sewer moratorium. Such a moratorium would halt all new sewer connections, effectively stopping residential and commercial development. The project’s core objectives are:

• To expand treatment capacity to support future community and economic growth.
• To enhance environmental protection through advanced nutrient removal technologies.
• To increase the facility’s resilience to climate-related events, specifically flooding.
• To ensure the continued operation of local industries reliant on municipal wastewater services.

3.0 Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The project directly contributes to the advancement of multiple SDGs, positioning the infrastructure upgrade as a key component of the town’s commitment to sustainable development.

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The project is fundamentally aligned with this goal. By incorporating advanced technology to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, the upgrade directly addresses Target 6.3 (improve water quality by reducing pollution). This action protects downstream water bodies, including the Yadkin River and High Rock Lake, ensuring cleaner water for ecosystems and other communities.
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The project embodies Target 9.1 by developing quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. Relocating critical components out of the floodplain enhances resilience, while the adoption of modern treatment processes represents an upgrade in technology and sustainability (Target 9.4).
3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: By mitigating flood risk, the project strengthens the town’s resilience to natural disasters, a key aspect of Target 11.5. Furthermore, by ensuring adequate sanitation infrastructure, it supports the creation of an inclusive, safe, and sustainable community capable of future growth.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Preventing a sewer moratorium is crucial for sustained economic growth (Target 8.2). The project allows for the development of new homes and businesses and secures the operational stability of the area’s largest employers, thereby protecting and fostering local employment.
5. SDG 13: Climate Action: The relocation of plant infrastructure from the floodplain is a direct climate adaptation measure, strengthening resilience to the increasing risk of extreme weather events (Target 13.1). The new plant’s design also emphasizes energy efficiency, contributing to climate mitigation efforts.
6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The project’s funding model exemplifies Target 17.17, showcasing a multi-stakeholder partnership between the Town of Wilkesboro, the State of North Carolina (through grants and the State Revolving Loan Fund), and Wilkes County.

4.0 Financial Framework and Long-Term Viability

The financial structure of the project has been designed to minimize the direct burden on residents while ensuring long-term operational efficiency.

• Total Project Cost: Not to exceed $89.8 million.
• Primary Funding Sources:
  • A $69.6 million zero-interest loan from the State Revolving Loan Fund, with a 30-year repayment term.
  • $18 million in grants from the State of North Carolina.
  • A request for additional funding from Wilkes County.
• Operational Savings: The new facility is projected to generate long-term savings that will offset repayment costs, due to:
  • Improved energy efficiency.
  • Reduced chemical consumption.
  • Lower long-term maintenance and repair costs.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

Explanation of Relevant SDGs

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – The core of the article is about upgrading a wastewater treatment plant to ensure the safe management of sanitation and improve water quality.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The project involves a “major upgrade and expansion” of critical infrastructure, making it more resilient and sustainable through “advanced technology.”
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The upgrade is essential for the town’s future growth, preventing a “sewer moratorium” that would halt the development of new homes and businesses. It also makes city infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters by moving it out of a floodplain.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The project directly addresses climate adaptation by relocating “vulnerable parts of the facility” to reduce the increasing risk of damage from flooding, storms, and “other extreme weather.”
• SDG 14: Life Below Water – The new facility will improve its removal of “nitrogen and phosphorus,” pollutants that harm downstream aquatic ecosystems like the “Yadkin River and High Rock Lake” by causing “harmful algal blooms.”
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The infrastructure upgrade is crucial for supporting the “local economy” by enabling “future development, both residential and commercial” and ensuring a major local employer can “keep operating and expanding.”
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – The project’s stated purpose is to protect “public health” by ensuring effective wastewater treatment and preventing water pollution.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The project is funded through a partnership involving the Town of Wilkesboro, the State of North Carolina (providing grants and a zero-interest loan), and Wilkes County.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution… halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
     
     The article directly addresses this by describing the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant to “remove more nitrogen and phosphorus” and improve the treatment of sewage, thus reducing water pollution.
   • Target 6.b: Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.
     
     The project was officially approved by the “Wilkesboro Town Council,” demonstrating local community governance and participation in water management decisions.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being.
     
     The project is a “major upgrade and expansion” of essential infrastructure. Its resilience is enhanced by moving it “out of the floodplain” to ensure it keeps “running during storms.”
   • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure… to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies.
     
     The article mentions the new plant will be “more energy-efficient, use fewer chemicals, and require less maintenance,” which aligns with upgrading infrastructure for sustainability and efficiency.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce… direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters…
     
     The project aims to “reduce future damage, lower repair costs” by moving the plant out of the floodplain, as the “current plant has flooded several times in recent years.”
   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
     
     The entire project is focused on improving municipal wastewater management for the Town of Wilkesboro.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
     
     The relocation of the plant from the floodplain is a direct measure to strengthen its resilience and adaptive capacity to the “increasing” risk of floods, “storms and other extreme weather.”

5. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including… nutrient pollution.
     
     The upgrade specifically targets the removal of “nitrogen and phosphorus”—key nutrient pollutants—to protect “High Rock Lake, a downstream resource” from land-based wastewater discharge.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Wastewater Treatment Capacity and Quality: The article mentions the existing plant reached “80 percent of its permitted capacity,” which serves as a key performance indicator that triggered the upgrade. The success of the new plant can be measured by its new, expanded capacity and, as implied, by measuring the concentration of “nitrogen and phosphorus” in the treated effluent to confirm improved water quality. This relates to Indicator 6.3.1 (Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated).
• Economic Growth Enablement: Progress can be measured by tracking the number of “new sewer taps” issued for “new homes” and “new businesses” after the plant’s expansion, which was previously at risk due to a potential “sewer moratorium.”
• Infrastructure Investment: The “total cost of the project is not to exceed $89.8 million,” with a “$69.6 million zero-interest loan” and “$18 million in grants.” These financial figures are direct indicators of investment in sustainable and resilient infrastructure (Target 9.1).
• Resilience to Disasters: An indicator of success for moving the plant from the floodplain would be the reduction or elimination of “damage, lower repair costs,” and operational downtime during future flooding events or “extreme weather” compared to past incidents where the plant “flooded several times.”
• Energy and Chemical Efficiency: The article implies that progress can be measured through operational cost savings, as the new plant “will be more energy-efficient, use fewer chemicals, and require less maintenance.” This can be tracked by monitoring energy consumption and chemical usage per volume of treated water.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thewilkesrecord.com