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members of water infrastructure groundbreaking ceremony in Mebane

Mebane Makes a Splash: Celebrating Major Water Upgrades

In a major win for its rapidly growing community, the City of Mebane recently marked two significant milestones in strengthening its water and wastewater infrastructure: the ribbon-cutting of a new elevated water storage tank and the groundbreaking for a large-scale upgrade to its Water Resources and Recovery Facility (WRRF). City leaders, state officials, and project partners, from McGill and Crowder, came together to celebrate Mebane’s commitment to sustainable growth and reliable, long-term water service. Doug Chapman of McGill, Matt Seawell of Crowder, and John Dodson, Mebane’s Water Resource Recovery Director, led attendees on site tours of the WRRF.

Investing in the Future

The ribbon-cutting event highlighted the City’s new 1-million-gallon elevated water tank—an addition that brings Mebane’s total storage capacity to 4.3 million gallons. This added capacity increases system resiliency, enhances fire protection, and prepares the community for continued commercial and residential expansion. McGill is proud to have supported the City in securing Economic Development Administration (EDA) funding for this impactful project.

Immediately following the celebration, the City broke ground on the much-anticipated WRRF upgrade. Mebane operates its own WRRF, which includes preliminary treatment, activated sludge biological treatment, secondary clarification, and tertiary filtration and disinfection. The facility currently has a permitted capacity of 2.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and treats the majority of the City’s wastewater, with a small portion flowing to the City of Graham, where Mebane maintains 0.75 MGD of capacity. In 2020, the WRRF averaged 1.71 MGD of flow, increasing by approximately 0.1 MGD per year.

Raising the Bar for Water Quality

Over the next three years, the project will expand the WRRF from 2.5 MGD to 4 MGD—providing the increased capacity necessary to support growth for the next 15–20 years and ensuring the City can continue delivering high-quality service to residents and businesses. McGill designed an advanced treatment process to modernize the facility.

Joel Whitford, McGill Water/Wastewater Senior Project Manager, has played a significant role in guiding this project.

“The upgrade and expansion of the WRRF is an important step for Mebane to continue providing essential services for its citizens and to accommodate growth in the community. The facility expansion includes improvements that replace aging equipment with advanced treatment units to meet stringent water quality standards. This project will allow the City to meet the current and future demands of this thriving community, while allowing minimal impact to the receiving stream. The McGill team enjoyed partnering with Mebane on this important project.”

Building on these improvements, the project also incorporates advanced nutrient removal technologies. A major component of the upgrade is the incorporation of biological nutrient removal to meet the Jordan Lake Rules, which protect downstream water quality for thousands of North Carolinians. The enhanced treatment process includes screening and grit removal, a five-stage oxidation ditch, secondary clarifiers, denitrification filters, and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection—modernizing the plant to meet today’s environmental expectations.

A Strong Partnership

Crowder Construction has been a key partner to McGill throughout this expansion. Mike Patton, McGill’s Construction Services Practice Area Leader, shared his appreciation for the collaboration:

“McGill has partnered with Crowder in the past and currently we’re working with their Civil & Environmental Division at the City of Mebane’s WRRF Expansion project. What sets Crowder apart from others is their team members’ professionalism and dedication to building a successful project. They are committed to working collaboratively through difficult situations while understanding and maintaining the engineer’s original design intent. Crowder’s project approach is unique among contractors and is much appreciated.”

This WRRF expansion will cost approximately $82 million. Construction began in January 2025, with anticipated completion in January 2028. Throughout the project, Blane Johnston, a McGill Engineering Associate, is on-site daily. He supports project management activities by coordinating timelines, ensuring regulatory compliance, streamlining communication between teams, and working closely with contractors and engineers to optimize design layouts and construction execution.

Shaping Mebane’s Future

Together, these investments position Mebane for decades of dependable, high-quality water and wastewater service. By expanding system capacity, modernizing critical infrastructure, and safeguarding water quality, the City—and its partners—are ensuring that Mebane remains a strong, resilient, and thriving community for generations to come.