When you think of a wastewater treatment plant, you might not immediately think of wildflowers. Or song birds. Or a flourishing habitat for native butterflies, bumblebees, reptiles and plants. So you may be surprised that the property surrounding Two Rivers’ Utilities three wastewater treatment plants provides a thriving environment that enriches the ecosystem and serves as a community resource.
The commonly used term for wastewater is sewage, and many people don’t want to live near a sewage treatment plant. Most people don’t want to live 
near industrial facilities, either. But it turns out that the land around quarries, factories, and facilities that produce energy or treat waste can be an excellent place for wildlife habitats.
In 2011, Two Rivers Utilities’ Wastewater Treatment Division joined the North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife and Industry Together program, often called WAIT. The WAIT sites, ranging from wetlands to meadows to woodlands, are “dedicated areas on workplace grounds that are transformed into wildlife habitats that can sustain life for diverse wildlife species.”
It’s more than a feel-good program. Sites receive WAIT certification if they meet specific criteria for managing and maintaining the designated wildlife habitat to encourage native flora and fauna to flourish. Equally important is an educational component that involves employees and the community.
Forty sites around the state have attained WAIT certification, including the Carmel Country Club and the NC Museum of Art. TRU’s Crowders Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant received WAIT certification in 2012. TRU’s Long Creek and Eagle Road wastewater treatment plants are also participating and hope to attain WAIT certification next year.
The Crowders Creek facility has a 2.4 acre wildflower meadow and an onsite library with books about native species and photos of wildlife seen at the site.
Education and tours
To help meet the educational requirement, TRU offers tours of its wastewater treatment plants and habitat areas. Most of those going on the tours are young people, such as with school groups and Scouts. In 2017, 224 community members toured a TRU wastewater treatment plant.
In addition to learning how wastewater is treated and cleaned, people on the tour visit the wildlife areas around the plants and get information about the WAIT program. TRU staff also provide information about the WAIT program when taking part in local school career fairs and presentations to the public.
Volunteers are essential to managing and improving TRU’s wildlife habitat sites. An Eagle Scout built and installed a hawk perch and purple martin condos. Gaston PAWS (Piedmont Area Wildlife Stewards) helped build wood duck boxes. A Charlotte Audubon Society member has conducted bird counts. Other community partners have donated flower seeds and educational supplies, and have maintained the meadows that provide cover for a wide range of native species.
TRU Division Manager Stephanie Scheringer says the WAIT program fits nicely with the Wastewater Treatment Division’s core mission of
environmental protection, environmental stewardship and public education. “It’s been a positive for the staff,” Scheringer says. “We have many animal and nature lovers who enthusiastically volunteer to be part of the program.”
TRU employees who are actively involved with the on-site wildlife habitats include Cody Austin, Doug Barker, Melody Carter, Rickey Ellison, Chris English, Adam Evatt, Charlie Graham, Kevin Graves, Hugh Hampton, Alec Jenkins, Tracy Johnson, Chad Ledford, Douglas Lewis, Janet Maddox, Jake Moody and Shellie Poole. They occasionally clean out bird boxes and bat boxes, and help maintain and enhance the habitat area. And as they make routine security checks of the plant perimeter, employees also keep a watch on the wildlife area, sometimes photographing the plants and animals they see.
“We are really proud of the WAIT program” Scheringer says. “It’s an inexpensive but effective way to partner with the community and enhance the environment.”
