Regional Compost Management Facility

The City of Hickory, City of Conover and Catawba County formed the Regional Sludge Consortium to develop and manage the Regional Sludge Management Facility. The Facility is jointly owned and operated by the City of Hickory with 70.5% ownership; the City of Conover owns 11%, and Catawba County, owning 18.5%. Area municipalities take residuals from their waste water treatment plants to the Sludge Facility where it is processed through a series of dying and mixing to produce a quality compost product. The Consortium contracts with Veolia Water North America for the operation and maintenance of the facility, under the direction of Wayne Carroll, Manager.

The compost produced by this facility is available for purchase by area farmers as well as residents for $3.00 per cubic yard. A large pickup costs approximately $10.00 and a small pickup is about $5.00. Loading hours for compost are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

SEPTAGE/SLUDGE HAULERS

Permitting
Permitted Septage Management Firms may dispose of septage at two approved sites in Catawba County. These Firms, or haulers must first be permitted by the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and then by Catawba County Environmental Health Department before hauling septage/sludge.

After a Septage Management Firm is approved and permitted by the State of North Carolina, the County must also permit it. An application must be completed and submitted to the Utilities and Engineering Office, along with the annual permitting fee for each truck, and arrange for a physical truck inspection with Michael E. Cash, R.S., Environmental Health Supervisor, On-site Sewage Program.

Setting up a Billing/Charge Account
Once a Septage/Sludge Hauler is permitted, a billing or charge account must be opened in order for the County to invoice the treatment of the loads disposed at the approved discharge points. Complete the credit application for sludge pumpers and return it either in person to the Utilities and Engineering Office located at the Government Center in Newton or fax it to 828-464-5216. The office will contact you when the account is approved or disapproved.

Fees
Disposal of Septage/Sludge is calculated at different rates, depending on the size of the load/truck. Fees are based on a full load/truck capacity.

Obtaining Load Disposal Tickets
An approved and permitted Septage/Sludge Hauler must obtain disposal tickets from the County's Permit Center, at the County Government Center at 100A South West Blvd in Newton. Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m, Monday through Friday. When Septage/Sludge is disposed of at the approved locations, the disposal ticket must be left at the site. The two approved disposal sites are the Old Brookford Waste Water Treatment Plant located at 2287 1st St SE, Hickory and the City of Newton Waste Water Treatment Plant located at 1407 McKay Road, Newton.

Ensuring Water Quality
Twice a year, the County samples seven points along Lake Norman for water protection; where there are permitted NPDES discharge points or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This ongoing project ensures the safety of the water on Lake Norman and as gathering a baseline for future infrastructure additioins and its impact to water quality.