Upgrading the Sanford Water Filtration Facility
A $390 million expansion project is underway at the Sanford Water Filtration Facility.
The project will more than double the plant’s capacity from 12 million gallons a day to 30 million gallons per day. That added water capacity will serve our growing region for many years to come.
The water purified at the upgraded facility will be sent throughout Sanford and Lee County – as well as to parts of Chatham County, Moncure, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, and Fuquay Varina.
Construction at the plant will continue into early 2029. At that point, infrastructure upgrades to connect Sanford to Moncure and Pittsboro will be complete.
In addition to the added water capacity, the project will add advanced filtration capabilities to the plant.
SEE ALSO: Sanford’s water plant expansion includes advanced filtration to combat forever chemicals
Controlled explosions took place along the north side of the facility’s grounds in the spring of 2025. The explosions broke up hard rock in the ground, so crews could begin laying foundation that will eventually house new granular activated carbon filters.
The decision to add GAC filters to the Sanford water filtration process was made many years ago. Forward-thinking TriRiver Water leaders fought to get the filters included in the expansion plans long before federal regulators began pushing water utilities to incorporate the technology. They knew GAC filters were an excellent investment due to their advanced filtration capabilities.
GAC filtration has long-been known to be effective at removing chlorine, taste, odors, and certain organics. Only recently has it been heralded for its effectiveness against PFAS, emerging contaminants commonly known as forever chemicals.
While the source water used at the Sanford facility does not have a history of elevated PFAS levels, the addition of GAC filtration will ensure that the purified drinking water that leaves the facility continues to be of the highest quality, even if PFAS levels at the raw water intake increase.
But what if a future contaminant that cannot be filtered out with GAC makes its way into the facility’s raw water? Again, TriRiver Water leaders are thinking ahead. The plant expansion was designed in a way that builds in extra space. That may sound minor, but it’s a significant forward-thinking infrastructure decision that promises to make the next technological addition to the filtration process significantly cheaper to retrofit.