Cary is committed to proactive, comprehensive planning to guide the future of our community, including effective water resources management.

2026 Wastewater Master Plan

Cary has been developing wastewater master planning documents since 1962. Today, Cary wastewater service area covers over 65-square miles, serving residential, commercial, and industrial connections in Wake and Chatham counties.

The 2026 Wastewater Master Plan evaluates the performance of Cary's wastewater collection system, identifies capacity challenges, and determines the improvements needed to meet future conditions. Based on these evaluations, the plan establishes a phased Capital Improvements Plan for short-term and long-term planning horizons of 2030 and 2050. These recommended improvements serve as the basis for the design, construction, and financing of the wastewater mains and facilities needed to serve Cary's projected growth.

The plan includes:

• Wastewater flow monitoring
• Model development and calibration
• Existing system analysis
• Future system analysis
• Capital Improvements Plan

The Wastewater Master Plan builds on guidance from the Cary Community Plan, which provides a framework for structuring future growth and redevelopment, and the Long Range Water Resources Plan, a strategic roadmap for meeting Cary's water resource needs.

Plan Documents

The Wastewater Master Plan is published in multiple parts for easier downloading: 

• Section 1 – Summary & Introduction (PDF)
• Section 2 – Existing Wastewater System (PDF)
• Section 3 – Wastewater Flow Monitoring (PDF)
• Section 4 – Model Development & Calibration (PDF)
• Section 5 – Existing System Analysis (PDF)
• Section 6 – Future System Analysis (PDF)
• Section 7 – Capital Improvements Plan (PDF)
• Appendix A - Opinion of Probable Construction Costs and Mapping (PDF)
• Appendix B - Scatter Graph Analysis Example (PDF)
• Appendix C - Wet Weather Event Data (PDF)
• Appendix D Part 1 - Model Calibration Dashboards (PDF)
• Appendix D Part 2 - Model Calibration Dashboards (PDF)
• Appendix E - Vieux and Associates Report (PDF)
• Appendix F - Secondary Wet Weather Event Calibration Tabular Results (PDF)
• Appendix G - Short Term Future System Analysis Mapping (PDF)

Contact 

Crystal Penton, PE 
Project Manager
Utilities Department 
(919)-653-7164
crystal.penton@carync.gov