The second wastewater pipeline crossing under the Catawba River is complete! The tunnel was constructed using Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) from Mount Holly, under the river, to the Long Creek Pump Station. Then, the wastewater pipe was pulled through the tunnel on January 4, 2023.
This second pipeline will provide redundancy, allowing future maintenance on one pipeline while the other is still in service. It also expands the potential operating capacity of the wastewater pumping system to support our region’s growth.
The first wastewater pipeline was installed under the Catawba River on August 23-24. The pipe was livestreamed emerging through the tunnel at the Long Creek Pump Station on Charlotte Water’s YouTube channel. A celebration commemorated this feat of engineering and the connection it made between Mount Holly and Charlotte.
The construction process for HDD and Wastewater Pipeline Installation is reviewed in the video below, as well as on our Wastewater Pipeline Installation page.