Tri-City Water Infrastructure Partnership: When 'We' Is Better Than 'Me'

This is a story about three cities in North Carolina: Albemarle, Concord and Kannapolis. Albemarle, 40 miles east of Charlotte, had excess capacity in its water system and needed new customers to defray costs. Concord and Kannapolis, within shouting distance of Albemarle, needed a new source of supply but were stymied by the cost of enhancing their systems independently.

From that dilemma, the three cities came together and worked to build a $21-million, 18-mile water transmission main that created a win-win-win situation. Work on the Albemarle Water Transmission Main, scheduled for completion in the spring of 2015, not only meets the needs of each municipality but also will help position the area for economic development opportunities in the wake of the textile industry’s decline.