Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project – Raw Water Infrastructure

The Raw Water Infrastructure Project is part of Union County’s Yadkin River Water Supply Project, which has been developed to ensure a long-term, sustainable water supply to its current and projected future customers in the Yadkin River Basin Service Area in North Carolina.

Key features of the project include a new raw water intake in Lake Tillery, a 45 million gallon per day (MGD) pump station with five vertical turbine pumps, and 29 miles of 42-inch and 54-inch mortar-lined steel raw water pipeline. This new infrastructure will help the raw water travel to the site of Union County’s new water treatment plant to then be distributed to residents in the area. 

The new intake facility provided unique challenges in the way of accessibility. The pump station is being built on a 0.6-acre lot surrounded by two homes, a public road, and Lake Tillery. Garney coordinated additional off-site laydown areas with the County early on during the design and worked regularly with local public services and neighbors to arrange access during road closures.  

The scope of work also included a 300-foot micro-tunnel using a 54-inch steel carrier pipe, two railroad crossings, two open-cut river crossings, rock excavation using blasting and hoe ramming, marine work, and demolition of existing structures on the Town of Norwood’s property.  

By the final design submittals, the owner realized about $7.5 million in savings from value engineering through the progressive design-build process. This project was the first progressive design-build for the County.

The project is expected to reach completion in the summer of 2023.