The Clark Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements project hit a major milestone this month: completion of the influent pump station structure, a complex, 40-foot-deep concrete structure that represented the critical path for the entire project. PC Construction’s North Carolina team, working for the City of Newton, has been focused on this infrastructure upgrade since contract execution in May 2025, and the hard work has paid off.
PC advanced this scope of work immediately upon contract execution, moving quickly to mobilize trade partners and establish the means and methods required to execute the work, which would include excavation 40 feet below grade – with rock and groundwater anticipated throughout – and 980 cubic yards of concrete.
The soldier pile and lagging system was installed and, by the end of June, we verified the rock elevation at an average depth of 29 feet below grade through 10 test borings. While rock removal was initially planned by mechanical means, we determined that controlled blasting was the best approach once the support of excavation system and excavation neared rock elevation.
Concrete work began after the excavation reached final grade and the base was prepared. The base mat concrete was placed at 36 inches thick, with sloped areas, stepped walls, and channels beginning at 48 inches thick. The structure was capped with self-supporting slabs over the screening channels and the vertical turbine pump area, bringing the influent pump station to completion in June 2026.
This milestone is a direct result of the entire team’s dedication to teamwork and excellence in execution – and I couldn’t be prouder. Navigating 40 feet of excavation, rock blasting, and 980 cubic yards of concrete in a live treatment facility environment is no small feat, and this crew made it look routine.
But it doesn’t stop there. Other areas of work concurrently under construction include site drainage, headworks channels and diversion chambers to include grit removal, a septage receiving station and dual lime feed systems, electrical upgrades, chlorine contact basin improvements, and plant SCADA.
As construction continues across the plant, PC remains on track to deliver meaningful, long-term improvements to the City of Newton’s wastewater treatment facility.
Start-up will begin in the spring of 2027.
