Four mayors tout expansion of Sanford's water filtration system | Archives | sanfordherald.com

Sanford Mayor Pro Tem Mark Akinosho gives the invocation on Tuesday morning for the groundbreaking of TriRiver Water’s expansion northeast of Sanford. Seated from left are mayors Blake Massengill, Fuquay-Varina, Sean Mayefskie, Holly Springs, Kyle Shipp, Pittsboro, and Rebecca Wyhof Salmon, Sanford.

“A celebration of something good that a region can do together.”

With those words, Sanford Mayor Pro Tem Mark Akinosho encouraged those gathered Tuesday morning for the groundbreaking of the expansion of TriRiver Water’s filtration system, which will serve Sanford, Pittsboro, Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.

“You stuck your necks out to do something special for your people,” said Akinosho, also a local pastor. He added, “Sanford is taking a big plunge to expand...”

Jimmy Randolph, CEO of Sanford Area Growth Alliance, noted the expansion is a combined effort of governments, nonprofits and the private sector.

“Agreements like this aren’t easily formed,” he said, noting it takes “exceptional leadership.”

Blake Massengill, mayor of Fuquay-Varina, noted that city has grown 167% in the last 13 years and plans to add the Gold Leaf Crossing Shopping Center in the next year or two, which will require more water.

By tapping into Sanford’s facility, it will add another 6 million gallons a day for his city, he said.

Sean Mayefskie, mayor of Holly Springs, called the joint effort “a creative solution.” None of the four cities could handle the expansion by themselves alone, he said. “We put our egos in check.”

He noted that state Rep. Erin Paré (R-Wake) helped procure $15 million for a 14-mile conveyance line from Sanford to Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina.

In addition, U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-13th) helped get $1 million in federal funding.

Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp, who Randolph noted is also an engineer at Microsoft, called the project “an innovative water treatment facility. This is what can happen when you think 20 to 30 years ahead,” he said.

Sanford Mayor Rebecca Wyhof Salmon, who served on city council beginning in 2011 and has been mayor since August 2022, noted that the cities of Jonesboro and Sanford were sharing water services prior to merging in 1947.

Sanford added Pittsboro to its water system earlier this year and changed the name of the water and wastewater service to TriRiver Water.

The expansion project, which will go from 12 million gallons of treated water a day to 30 million when complete in 2028, is “not just about water quantity. It’s about water quality,” she said.

Of the added 18 MGD, Sanford will own 8 MGD at a cost of $185.8 million, Fuquay-Varina will own 6 MGD at a cost of $122.9 million and Holly Springs will own 4 MGD at a cost of $81.9 million.

The $390.6 million project will use granular activated carbon technology. “As water flows through the GAC filter, substances known as PFAS are filtered out,” a release states. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” and have been used in industrial and commercial products since the 1940s.

Salmon thanked state Sen. Jim Bergin (R) and state Rep. John Sauls (R) for their efforts in helping procure $8.2 million in federal ARPA funds for the project, which also received a $150 million interest-free 30-year loan from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Salmon called the project “a strategic investment” and “a win-win for everyone involved.”

Sanford will manage the facility, retain sole authority over its operation and maintain an ownership stake.

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