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Durham shifts Western Intake plan: will build treatment plant in Durham and pump raw water from Jordan Lake intake
Summary
City staff announced a major change to the Western Intake Partnership: Durham will build a water treatment plant inside the city and pump raw water from a Jordan Lake intake to Durham, citing operational and water‑quality advantages and partners’ reduced near‑term demand for finished water; the project remains scheduled to deliver water by late 2031.
Durham’s Water Management staff told council the Western Intake Partnership has been reconfigured: the city will construct a water treatment plant in Durham and pump raw (untreated) water from an intake at Jordan Lake to the new Durham facility, rather than building a shared treatment plant adjacent to the intake.
Sid Miller, assistant director for administration, said the change follows partners’ indications they no longer expect to take finished drinking water in the near term. Building a treatment plant in Durham — adjacent to the South Durham Water Reclamation Facility on a city‑owned parcel — has modest cost benefits and operational advantages, Miller said, including closer integration with existing distribution and the potential to mix high‑quality reclamation effluent with raw lake water ahead of treatment to reduce some advanced treatment costs.
Don Gley and other water managers briefed council on regulatory and regional dynamics: partner utilities’ near‑term demand dropped after inter‑utility changes and improvements at neighboring plants, and Tri‑River (Sanford area) recently expanded capacity — factors that reduced the likelihood partners would buy finished water on the timeline the partnership initially expected. Officials said partners will still be able to access their Jordan Lake allocations through the intake and will reimburse Durham for intake and raw‑water capacity if and when they buy in.
Staff said they will update interlocal agreements, pursue land purchase and execute progressive design‑build contracts for the intake and Durham treatment plant; the transmission line to carry raw water to Durham remains part of the partnership. Project delivery is still targeted for late 2031. Officials warned the change reduces the short‑term prospect that partner reimbursements for finished water will offset Durham’s upfront costs, though they said long‑term operational savings related to treatment and regulatory compliance could offset some expenses.
Council asked for continued regional coordination and transparency; staff said they have briefed partner utilities and county officials and will return with updated interlocal agreements and procurement steps.
