Water Treatment Plant
Due to the Central Coastal Plain Capacity Use Rules, the region faces a water supply deficit. The Martin County Regional Water and Sewer Authority (MCRWASA) was formed to address this need on a regional basis. An environmental assessment was completed in 2009. After study of several alternatives, including multiple groundwater alternatives, a Roanoke River water treatment plant was selected as the best supply alternative.The MCRWASA purchased property at the east end of Park Street in Williamston in May 2012 for the construction of the water treatment plant. The intake for the water treatment plant will be at Moratoc Park, and the easement between MCRWASA and Martin County for this intake was approved in June 2012.
In January 2013, the reclassification of the Roanoke River (needed for the construction of the plant) was completed.
In March 2013, the construction project was advertised for bids. Two contracts (one for the water treatment plant and a second for the transmission lines) were awarded to T.A. Loving in July of 2013. After several years of planning, design and preparation, the Martin County Regional Water and Sewer Authority (MCRWASA) Water Treatment Plant construction started on September 30, 2013.
The plant began distributing water to its wholesale customers the Town of Williamston and Martin County in March of 2016. The plant has a capacity of treating up to 2 million gallons of water per day.
On June 1, 2016, the Martin County Regional Water and Sewer Authority (MCRWASA), the Town of Williamston (inside and outside town limits) and Martin County Water District #2 changed the disinfectant used in the treatment process from chlorine to chloramines. (Visit http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/chloramine-disinfection.html for more information about this process.) This change benefits our customers by reducing the levels of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in the system, while still providing protection from waterborne disease.