The City of New Bern
Water Treatment Plant began operation in May 2010. This system consists of a filter/softener treatment plant, a two million gallon ground storage tank, and 15 wells which draw water from the Castle Hayne Aquifer. The Castle Hayne Aquifer is much larger and more easily replenished than the Black Creek Aquifer, but its water is of considerably lower quality. Raw water pumped from the wells contains metals (iron and manganese), hydrogen sulfide (odor), and high levels of calcium and magnesium (hardness) and must be treated at the Water Treatment Plant prior to distribution.The New Bern Water Treatment Plant has a permitted capacity of 5.5 MGD and has been designed to be readily expanded to 7.0 MGD if needed in the future.
Black Creek (Cove City) Production Wells
The City operates 5 production wells located about 10 miles west of the New Bern near Cove City, which all withdraw water from the Black Creek Aquifer. The water from the Black Creek Aquifer is of very high quality and only requires minor disinfection prior to being placed into the distribution system. Withdraws from this aquifer are outlined under the Central Coastal Plains Capacity Use Regulations and the City’s 5 wells currently have a permitted withdraw capacity of 2.0 MGD.