Shown here is the signage outside the current City of Rockingham wastewater facility. Scan the QR code for the full conversation regarding a $13 million revamp of the facility.
Work on revamping Rockingham’s wastewater facility will soon get underway after the Rockingham City Council unanimously approved a resolution accepting a $13 million grant to cover the project cost.
The move comes nearly two months after Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump announced plans to revamp the facility, originally constructed in 1938.
“The general assembly finally finalized their budget for all appropriations and grants that were rewarded. They finally did all of their documentation to accept and disperse those grant funds,” Crump said. “… This is one of the two requirements. We about have all of the rest of it in place already, which is engineering contracts and a whole prep list we ran through to be able to accept this. We previously adopted a resolution for a grant program as far as expenditures and we needed to have a project board in place in order to do that”
The resolution passed last week formally accepts an appropriation from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. While speaking to the council in July Crump said the project will revamp of Rockingham’s current operations. Along with replacing the inner workings of Rockingham’s wastewater treatment facility, the project will also install generators capable of powering the facility for more than 24 hours, which will prevent the treated water discharging into the Pee Dee River from backing up in the event of a power failure.
“We’re using Davis & Floyd, who designed the original water plant back in 1937 or 38. They have done a lot of work for us, and are very familiar with our system and our facilities. They are specialists in this. We have a high degree of confidence moving forward. Right now, the schedule we looked at has a completion by February of 2027,” said Crump last summer. “… The fact you have the same engineers that did [the wastewater facility in 1989]. The same manager, the same wastewater treatment client ready to sit down in a room and talk about what we did wrong the last time and correct it this time – it’s unique to have that.”
The Council also passed a resolution making Crump the executor of the project, which gives him the ability to accept documents and monitor all existing grants and appropriations tied to the project.
“We will be able to submit this [Wednesday]. We’re working with engineers and they’re already looking at expediting permitting for this project … Hopefully we’re looking at late 2026 or early 2027 to be through with construction,” Crump said.