About Our Water Services

History | Facts | Statistics | Map of Service Area | Pharmaceuticals in Water Brochure (PDF)

Water Treatment Process Changed in March 2003

Water History
The first water service in Fayetteville was installed before the Civil War and the source of water was Fountainhead Spring. Water traveled by gravity through hollow logs to the heart of the city. Some of the logs that have been excavated in recent years are still in good condition, although unused for many years.

The first organized effort to supply water to Fayetteville was by the Robinson Family, probably in the 1890's, when Glenville Lake was formed. At that time it was known as Robinson's Pond. This system was taken over by a Mr. Richardson, from New York, who later sold to the McNeill's. In 1903, the McNeill's sold the system to the City of Fayetteville.
The first water filtration plant was installed by the Public Works Commission (PWC) on Glenville Lake in 1912. The contractor agreed to complete the plant for the sum of $18,000. The first building stands on the opposite side of the lake from the present Glenville Lake Plant. The original capacity of this plant was 1,000,000 gallons of treated water per day (MGD).

The present plant on Glenville Lake was built in 1942 with a capacity of 3 MGD. Fayetteville's population at that time was 18,000 persons. The plant was expanded in 1949 to 5 MGD; in 1954 to 8 MGD; in 1961 to 12 MGD and in 1994 to its ultimate capacity of 18 MGD.

Contracts were awarded in July 1967 for construction of a second water purification plant, located on the Cape Fear River. This new plant was designed so that it can be expanded in increments to an ultimate treatment capacity of 96 MGD. Named in honor of P.O. Hoffer, a former chairman of the Public Works Commission, the Hoffer Plant initially treated 8 MGD. In 1975, an 8 MGD expansion brought the treatment capacity to 16 MGD; and the most recent additional 16 MGD expansion completed in May 1988 now gives the Hoffer Plant a treatment capacity of 32 MGD.

Through the foresight of Fayetteville's forefathers, the citizens of Fayetteville have, in their Public Works Commission, a significant community asset with a proud history. The Public Works Commission has kept abreast, through the years, with demands for a water utility to serve the rapidly growing city and the surrounding urbanized areas.

Water Facts
The Public Works Commission's (PWC) Water Utility serves all areas within the City limits of Fayetteville and certain other developed areas outside the City. On the north, the service area extends to the Town of Spring Lake and Fort Bragg. The service area extends east to the Community of Eastover and the Town of Stedman; south to an industrial park on Tom Starling Road; and west to the Hoke County line.

The PWC's Water Utility provides retail service to both inside and outside city residential, commercial and industrial customer classes, as well as City and PWC facilities. This includes the 1998 merger with the Town of Hope Mills. The PWC also provides wholesale water service on a contract basis to Spring Lake, Stedman and Hoke County. Fort Bragg operates and maintains its own water system and uses the PWC service only for meeting unusually high peak demands on the Fort Bragg system or as an emergency water supply.

Water Statistics
Customers (as of June 30, 2008):
Industrial: 10
Commerical: 5,902
Residential:73,879
Population Served: 185,000
Annual Pumping Average: 24.117 Million Gallons a Day (MGD)
System Peak Demand: 42.25 MGD (June 8, 1999)
Water Mains: 1,300 miles - PWC, 72 miles operate and maintain *
Water Meters: 88,804
Booster Pump Stations: 7
Fire Hydrants: 7,319 - PWC, 149 - operate and maintain
Effective Storage Capacity: 36.1 MG
Elevated Storage Tanks: 6 (4-1 MG; 1- .5 MG, 1-.1MG)
Ground Storage Tanks: 1 (5 MG)
Clearwell Storage Tanks: 5 (1-1.5 MG, 2-4 MG, 1-5 MG, 1-12 MG

* Stedman and Eastover