County seeks engineering amendment to study Triangle Wastewater capacity amid Jordan Lake rule uncertainty

Durham County staff asked the Board for approval to amend a contract with Fries & Nichols to proceed from phase 1 to phase 2 of a multi-stage study of the Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant. The work will analyze plant hydraulics, population and land-use projections, treatment alternatives, probable construction costs and the implications of Jordan Lake nutrient-strategy rule changes on permitted discharge capacity into Northeast Creek and Jordan Lake.

Staff described the immediate technical tasks: field investigations, Northeast Creek hydrologic modeling and coordination with state regulators to determine whether the county can be permitted for higher flows at the current discharge location or would instead be required to run a longer discharge pipe further into Jordan Lake. "This contract amendment... would be to go into, phase 2," staff said, explaining the study would produce engineering alternatives and opinions of probable cost to inform a long-term decision.

Commissioners noted the project spans decades and could entail very large capital investments; staff cited Western Wake's earlier large project ($300M+) as a potential comparator and stressed the need for regional coordination on models and rulemaking. The board asked staff to return with further details and to coordinate through regional basin associations and state stakeholders as analyses proceed.