Officials from the Republic of Moldova toured two Cape Fear Public Utility Authority treatment plants Wednesday, November 2, as part of a diplomatic visit to North Carolina.
Wednesday’s tour was sponsored by the U.S. Congressional Office for International Leadership, the N.C. Secretary of State’s Office, and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). The Moldovan delegation included elected leaders and utility officials from several municipalities.
During a week-long trip to North Carolina, the delegation has been visiting government and cultural sites across the state, including water, wastewater, and solid waste treatment facilities. Wednesday morning, the group toured CFPUA’s Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Richardson Water Treatment Plant, followed by a meeting with CFPUA leadership.
CFPUA staff detailed the many processes that go into water and wastewater treatment at our facilities. Delegates also had the chance to ask about treatment plant staffing and automation, water and wastewater treatment standards in the United States, and how utilities such as CFPUA are responding to emerging drinking water contaminants, including PFAS.
“It was an honor to meet some of our international peers in water and wastewater treatment,” said CFPUA Deputy Executive Director Carel Vandermeyden. “Our utilities may deal with different political, environmental, and economic circumstances, but the goal is the same: providing the highest quality services possible to our communities.”
Wednesday afternoon, the Moldovan delegation was also scheduled to visit the Sonoco Recycling Material Reclamation Facility, the New Hanover County Landfill, and New Hanover County Government Center to meet members of the Board of County Commissioners. Earlier this week, the group visited facilities in Brunswick and Granville counties, with upcoming tours scheduled in Sampson and Wake counties.
The Northside Plant is the larger of CFPUA’s two wastewater treatment plants, with a treatment capacity of 16 million gallons per day (MGD).
The Richardson Plant provides drinking water to approximately 15 percent of CFPUA’s customers, treating groundwater using low-pressure reverse-osmosis. Richardson has a treatment capacity of 7 MGD.
For more information about the North Carolina-Moldova Partnership, click here.
See below for pictures from Wednesday’s tours:
CFPUA staff lead delegates from Moldova on a tour of the Richardson Water Treatment Plant Wednesday, November 2.
CFPUA staff lead delegates from Moldova on a tour of the Richardson Water Treatment Plant Wednesday, November 2.
Officials from Moldova observe wastewater treatment processes at the Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant Wednesday, November 2.