Pendleton-Clemson Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Groundbreaking

The City of Clemson, Town of Pendleton, and Anderson County will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Pendleton/Clemson wastewater treatment plant (PCWWTP) at 10:30 am on Friday, August 30, 2024. The groundbreaking will take place at the site of the plant on Woodburn Road near Eighteen Mile Creek.

The PCWWTP is owned by the Town of Pendleton but is managed by a three-way intergovernmental agreement between the Town of Pendleton, the City of Clemson, and Anderson County. In the City of Clemson, this plant serves the east side of Hwy 93, which is largely residential. Pendleton’s capacity also primarily consists of traditional housing, while Anderson County’s capacity is a mix of homes and industry.

The guaranteed maximum price for the expansion is $60,994,197. The costs will be shared between the three partnering governments. Clemson’s share will be $16,701,405, Pendleton’s share will be $11,686,976, and Anderson County will be responsible for the remaining 21,705,816.

Currently, the PCWWTP is an extended aeration, activated sludge plant with a rated capacity of 2.0 million gallons per 24-hour day (MGD). Treated wastewater effluent discharge currently averages approximately 1.2 MGD, and the maximum flow was 2.4 MGD. Due to new residential development along Hwy 76 and Hwy 123 as well as industrial growth in Anderson County, the plant exceeds the allocated capacity for permitted projects and is operating under a “Flow Advancement Agreement from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control” that was signed in May 2016. This allows the Town of Pendleton, Anderson County, and the City of Clemson to permit flows up to 3.0 MGD based on our commitment to expand the wastewater treatment plant. Under this agreement, the owners of the plant must maintain proper treatment and not exceed the permitted flow.

This expansion and upgrade will involve changing the treatment process from an extended air plant to an A²O Process, which is anaerobic (A), anoxic(A), and aerobic (O). With this process, the plant can be expanded to at least 5.0 million gallons per day (MGD) within the existing footprint.

The project is anticipated to be completed in July 2026.