Marking a milestone on Pendleton Clemson’s future-focused facility

On August 30, the Town of Pendleton, City of Clemson and Anderson County celebrated an important milestone for the state-of-the-art Pendleton-Clemson Wastewater Treatment Plant (PCWWTP) expansion project.

Although PCWWTP is owned by the Town of Pendleton, it is managed by a three-way intergovernmental agreement that also includes the City of Clemson and Anderson County. The three areas are projecting exponential growth within the next ten years, with studies showing the City of Clemson’s population doubling in size, the Town of Pendleton currently being the fastest growing community in South Carolina and Anderson County experiencing a boom in industry and homes.

Expansion is no longer a want, but a need for the area.

Located near Eighteen Mile Creek, PCWWTP is an extended aeration, activated sludge plant that treats wastewater discharges from a service area that extends from north of Pendleton to east of Clemson.

The plant has a rated capacity of 2.0 million gallons per day (MGD), but currently exceeds the allocated capacity for permitted projects under a “Flow Advancement Agreement” from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, signed in May 2016. The agreement allows the three areas to permit flows up to 3.0 MGD based on their commitment to expand the wastewater treatment plant.

The Town of Pendleton retained Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) in 2020 to conduct preliminary engineering services for the wastewater treatment plant. The design team presented options to meet the needs of those served by the facility, ultimately leading to selection of aerobic granular sludge as the main treatment process. The AGS process will eliminate the need for secondary clarifiers and will allow the existing clarifiers to be utilized as the accessory tanks for AGS.

Once complete, the expanded facility will incorporate cutting-edge technology, including three bioreactors utilizing aerobic granular sludge as the primary biological process. Additional enhancements to the plant include new filters, a UV disinfection system, a plant reuse water system and an aerobic digester. With the updated process, the plant will be able to treat more than 5.0 MGD within the existing footprint.

In addition to facility design, GMC is also handling all permitting related to the project, including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) modification, construction and stormwater permitting, as well as providing civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, electrical engineering and environmental services.

Harper General Contractors is serving as the general contractor for the project, with construction expected to be completed in 2026.