Water and resilience

Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility

Stowe facility site along Hawfield Road and the Catawba River


Under constructionActive

Verified Project Information

Summary

The Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility is a new regional wastewater treatment facility along the Catawba River serving northwestern Mecklenburg and eastern Gaston counties. It will replace or retire the Belmont and Mount Holly treatment plants while improving treatment resilience and protecting the river.

Current stage: Under construction.

Current condition: Active.

Key Facts

Estimated Cost

$650.00 million

as of 2023

Latest Progress

2026-08-31: The official project updates page continued to document work through August 2026, including headworks, influent pumping, day tanks and equalization basins. The project remains under construction, with overall completion expected in 2028.

Project Leaders

City of Belmont
Project sponsor

City of Charlotte
Project owner, Project sponsor

City of Mount Holly
Project sponsor

Mecklenburg County
Project sponsor

Project Funding

Funding type: Public · Status: Allocated

Other funding contributors: City of Charlotte, City of Mount Holly

Timeline

  1. Construction updates continue across regional components

    The official project updates page continued to document work through August 2026, including headworks, influent pumping, day tanks and equalization basins. The project remains under construction, with overall completion expected in 2028.

    Stage after event: Under construction
  2. 2026 testing and conveyance work planned

    The 2025 project update said the team planned to begin clean-water testing on parts of the facility in 2026 and continue pipeline and pump-station work. The current project background gives 2028 as the expected construction-completion year for the overall program.

    Stage after event: Under construction
  3. First phase reaches approximately two-thirds completion

    Charlotte Water's FY25 wastewater report said first-phase Stowe construction was approximately 66 percent complete while serving the northwestern Mecklenburg and eastern Gaston regional service area.

    Stage after event: Under construction
  4. Mount Holly pump station opens

    The project reported that the Mount Holly Pump Station opened. The same progress update showed the Stowe Facility at 60 percent, the Stowe Headworks and Influent Pump Station at 70 percent, Belmont pump station and pipelines at 5 percent, and regional solids transfer at 10 percent.

    Stage after event: Under construction
  5. Construction begins on regional wastewater facility

    Charlotte Water began construction of the regional wastewater program, which replaces aging Belmont and Mount Holly treatment plants with a new facility, pump stations, force mains and related conveyance serving the western Mecklenburg and eastern Gaston service area.

    Stage after event: Under construction

Geography

Project site / location

  • Mecklenburg County, NC

Affected / impact geography

  • Mecklenburg County, NC

Map

ExactApproximate

Solid geometry is exact. Dotted geometry and dotted-outline markers are approximate. Multiple markers may show independently verified locations; they are not connected and do not establish a route or alignment.