By Gene Galin
Pittsboro, NC – When Victor Czar was asked how long a community could last without water in a “zombie apocalypse,” the Sanford assistant city manager did not hesitate. “Nothing,” he said. The line drew a laugh, but it also captured the central point of his May 5 discussion at the 79°West Breakfast Club in Pittsboro: water and wastewater capacity are not background details in the growth of Lee and Chatham counties. They are the foundation beneath housing, industry, public health, environmental stewardship and the region’s ability to shape what comes next.
A regional utility built for a regional moment
TriRiver Water has quickly become one of the most consequential public infrastructure efforts in central North Carolina. Created in 2024 when Sanford and Pittsboro merged their water and wastewater utilities, the system has since expanded to include Chatham County and Siler City, bringing the utility to about 40,000 customers and a service area that TriRiver describes as roughly the size of Rhode Island. The system now includes four water filtration facilities, five wastewater treatment plants and more than 1,000 miles of water and sewer lines.
Czar, an N.C. State-trained engineer who has served Sanford since 1990 and became assistant city manager in 2023, has been one of the central figures in that shift. The Chatham Chamber of Commerce described him as a driving force behind one of the region’s most significant infrastructure achievements, noting his earlier roles as city engineer and public works director before he moved into city administration.
The basic argument Czar laid out was straightforward: Chatham County’s growth pressures are no longer local in the old sense. Pittsboro, Siler City, Moncure, Sanford, Chatham Park, Triangle Innovation Point and nearby employment centers are part of a shared economic and infrastructure geography. Roads, jobs, housing, schools and public services cross county lines. Water must do the same.
“Growth is going to come,” Czar told the audience. “How you manage it is how you get some of the outcomes you want.”
Pittsboro’s limits helped push the conversation
For years, Pittsboro’s water and sewer capacity has been one of the practical constraints on growth. Czar said Pittsboro’s water plant could produce about 2 million gallons per day, while its wastewater plant was permitted for roughly 750,000 gallons per day. TriRiver’s facility overview lists the Pittsboro reclamation facility at 750,000 gallons per day and the Chatham Park reclamation facility at 500,000 gallons per day.
Those numbers matter because large-scale development cannot simply be approved on paper and then supplied later by hope. Subdivisions, hospitals, restaurants, factories, schools and fire protection systems all depend on reliable utility capacity. Wastewater can be an even tougher hurdle than drinking water because treatment plants must meet state and federal permit limits before treated water is discharged back into creeks and rivers.
Czar emphasized that Pittsboro employees were doing serious work with the systems they had. The issue, he said, was scale and specialization. Sanford, by contrast, had a larger utility operation, more experience with industrial pretreatment, and access to bigger water and wastewater assets tied to the Cape Fear River basin and the Deep River.
“We have a role to play here,” Czar said, describing Sanford’s position near major water resources. “Don’t lose sight of it.”
The $390 million expansion
The most visible symbol of TriRiver’s regional role is Sanford’s water filtration facility expansion. The project is designed to increase treatment capacity from 12 million gallons per day to 30 million gallons per day. Sanford officials put the total cost at $390.7 million, with Sanford, Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs sharing ownership of the added capacity. Sanford will own 8 million gallons per day of the added capacity, Fuquay-Varina 6 million gallons per day and Holly Springs 4 million gallons per day.
Czar described the project in round numbers as a $400 million undertaking. He used that figure to make a larger point: water is expensive, and the costs are too large for smaller governments to handle efficiently on their own.
He recalled that Sanford once considered a smaller expansion of its own water plant, at an estimated cost of about $90 million. By bringing in partners and building at a larger scale, he said, Sanford could reduce its own share and spread costs across a broader base. The same principle now applies to Chatham County and Siler City.
The project is not only about quantity. Sanford’s expansion also includes granular activated carbon filters, which are designed to remove unwanted contaminants, including PFAS. That matters in a region where Pittsboro’s Haw River water supply has drawn years of concern over PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. (sanfordnc.net)
Wastewater may be the bigger bottleneck
Drinking water often gets the public attention, but wastewater capacity can determine where growth is possible. Sanford’s Big Buffalo Water Reclamation Facility has a permitted capacity of 12 million gallons per day and discharges treated wastewater into the Deep River near Cumnock.
Big Buffalo uses biological nutrient removal, ultraviolet disinfection, clarifiers, filters, pretreatment facilities and a state-certified laboratory. TriRiver says work is underway to connect Pittsboro to Big Buffalo, with that connection expected to be completed in late 2027.
That connection is critical. In the merger agreement between Sanford and Pittsboro, Sanford committed to design, permit and construct a force main transmission line from Pittsboro to Sanford to route Pittsboro’s wastewater to Sanford’s treatment facility. The same agreement also called for increasing Sanford’s water treatment capacity from 12 million to 30 million gallons per day and building a water transmission line from Triangle Innovation Point in Chatham County to Pittsboro.
A regional approach also changes how local governments seek state and grant funding. In 2023, Sanford received notification of $55.1 million in Golden LEAF Foundation grant funding for the Sanford-Pittsboro sewer force main and other utility improvements.
Czar said one benefit of TriRiver is that it gives the region “one voice” when seeking permits, money or regulatory approvals. Instead of multiple towns and counties competing for the same resources, one utility can make the case for the broader region.
From local utility to economic development engine
Czar repeatedly connected water and wastewater to economic development. In Moncure, where the region has long looked to industrial megasites and advanced manufacturing, utility access is not a side issue. It is often the deciding factor.
TriRiver’s merger materials specifically cite the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing site, Wolfspeed and other expansions as examples of why water infrastructure is key to the area’s economic future.
Czar said Sanford’s willingness to serve wastewater needs around the Moncure megasite was one of the early examples of regional thinking. He noted that job creation in Chatham County can benefit Sanford because workers, teachers and first responders often live in one jurisdiction and work in another.
That point is central to the TriRiver story. Sanford is not simply “selling water” to neighbors. It is betting that a larger, stronger regional economy will help all participating communities. Czar summed up the principle with a familiar phrase: “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
Stewardship, not ownership
One of Czar’s clearest messages involved the public nature of water. He said communities sometimes worry that a regional utility means they are “giving away” their water. His response was that the water is not truly the private possession of one city.
“It’s not our water,” he said, recalling a point made by his city manager. “It’s a blue line on a map, which means it’s waters of the state.”
That view reframes the discussion. Water is a public resource, and local governments are stewards. The question is whether they can manage that resource responsibly while supporting growth, protecting water quality and keeping costs as low as possible for ratepayers.
That does not mean rates will be painless. Czar was blunt that water and sewer bills are likely to rise over time because infrastructure is expensive, energy costs rise, treatment rules change and plants must be maintained long after ribbon-cuttings are over. But he argued that regionalization can reduce what customers would otherwise pay by spreading fixed costs over a wider customer base.
TriRiver makes a similar case in its public merger materials, saying larger treatment plants can have lower costs per gallon than smaller ones and that merged systems can pool resources, negotiate better prices, borrow at lower interest rates and hire more specialized personnel.
Chatham County and Siler City join the system
The TriRiver expansion did not stop with Pittsboro. Chatham County customers were added July 1, 2025, bringing about 11,000 new customers into the system. TriRiver said Chatham County commissioners signed the agreement with Sanford in November 2024, with TriRiver taking over all aspects of water and wastewater service for Chatham County utility customers on July 1, 2025.
Siler City customers also joined TriRiver on July 1, 2025. TriRiver said the Siler City Board of Commissioners approved the merger in October 2024 after years of discussion, with TriRiver assuming responsibility for the town’s water and wastewater service.
For customers, the transition involved new account numbers, changes in payment procedures and new branding. For the region, the shift was more substantial: Sanford, Pittsboro, Chatham County and Siler City were moving from separate utility systems toward one regional platform.
The long timeline behind a short word: capacity
Infrastructure decisions can appear sudden when the public hears about them at the point of construction, rate changes or merger agreements. Czar made clear that TriRiver was decades in the making.
He described arriving in Sanford and being shown maps by leaders who were already thinking about where water and sewer lines would be needed in the future. He said he learned early that utility work was not simply about installing one water line to one site. It was about anticipating where growth would go and preparing before the demand arrived.
“I was learning lessons that I didn’t even know I was learning,” he said.
The public timeline bears that out. Sanford and Pittsboro initiated a wastewater treatment and capacity reservation contract in 2017. In 2020, they hired Freese and Nichols to explore merged water and wastewater resources. Pittsboro’s board adopted a resolution in 2022 declaring its intent to regionalize with Sanford, and Sanford’s City Council followed with a resolution to investigate a merger. By July 2023, four municipalities — Sanford, Pittsboro, Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina — had agreed to share costs for the water filtration facility expansion.
The formal Sanford-Pittsboro merger agreement was signed Aug. 1, 2023, and TriRiver Water officially began providing water and wastewater service to Sanford and Pittsboro on July 1, 2024.
The tension between political time and infrastructure time
One of the more interesting moments in Czar’s conversation came when he described the mismatch between elected officials’ timelines and infrastructure timelines.
Utility projects take years, often decades. They require engineering studies, environmental reviews, financing, land acquisition, easements, permitting, construction contracts, rate studies and public approvals. Elected officials, meanwhile, face voters every few years.
“Their vision of the future is the next election,” Czar said of politicians generally. “And you work in that context.”
That was not presented as a criticism so much as a reality. Public infrastructure leaders have to translate 20-year needs into decisions that elected boards can defend today. They also have to explain why capacity must be built before every customer is connected.
Czar recounted a meeting with state officials over wastewater expansion more than a decade ago. Sanford wanted to increase capacity, but state regulators made clear that more flow could not simply mean more pollution loading into the river. In other words, an expanded plant would need to treat more water while still meeting environmental limits on the total pounds of regulated constituents discharged.
That challenge shaped later thinking. A plant is not just a volume machine. It is a regulated environmental facility, and the ability to grow depends on both gallons and water quality.
What it means for Chatham Park and Pittsboro
For Pittsboro and Chatham Park, TriRiver’s significance is hard to overstate. Growth in and around Pittsboro has been discussed for years, but large developments require water supply, fire flow, sewer capacity and long-term treatment reliability.
Czar said Chatham Park is good for Sanford, even though it is not in Sanford. His reasoning was regional: major development draws attention, investment and people to the area. Some may choose Chatham Park; others may choose Sanford, Siler City, unincorporated Chatham County or other nearby communities.
The News & Observer reported in 2025 that Pittsboro’s aging water plant had operated near or at capacity for years and that the TriRiver merger was expected to boost regional water capacity, support supply through 2040 and eventually pump water to Pittsboro to serve growth including Chatham Park.
That does not mean growth becomes automatic or controversy-free. Communities still have to make land-use decisions, set expectations for density, protect environmental resources, manage roads and schools, and decide what kind of development fits local character. But without water and sewer, many of those debates remain theoretical.
A practical message for residents
For residents, TriRiver may show up first as a bill, a customer service number, a new account portal, a meter replacement, a construction detour or a water alert. But the deeper significance is that the region is moving from a patchwork of smaller systems to a larger network intended to handle growth, regulatory demands and economic development.
TriRiver says its current service area includes Sanford, Pittsboro, Chatham County and Siler City, with customer service offices in Sanford, Pittsboro and Siler City.
That scale could bring benefits, including professional staffing, broader engineering capacity and more leverage in funding applications. It can also raise concerns about local control, rates, construction disruptions and how decisions made in one city affect residents in another jurisdiction.
Czar did not suggest that regionalization solves every problem. Instead, he argued that it gives the region a better tool for dealing with problems that are already here.
The hidden system shaping the next Chatham County
Victor Czar’s message at the 79°West Breakfast Club in May was less about pipes than about preparation. Water and wastewater systems are not glamorous. They are expensive, technical and easy to ignore until they fail. Yet they determine where homes can be built, where industries can locate, how rivers are protected and how much communities pay for growth that may already be on the way.
TriRiver Water represents a bet that Sanford, Pittsboro, Chatham County and Siler City are stronger together than apart. Its success will depend on engineering, financing, political trust, environmental compliance and clear communication with residents who will ultimately fund and rely on the system.
“Growth is really right out the doorstep,” Czar said. “How you manage it is how you get some of the outcomes you want.”
Watch on YouTube – Victor Czar on TriRiver Water – 5.5.26 by Merlin AI
Victor Czar Discusses TriRiver Water’s Impact on Lee & Chatham Counties and Regional Infrastructure Development
00:13 Vic Czar discusses his role in TriRiver Water’s development.
- Czar, an experienced engineer, emphasizes the importance of infrastructure for regional growth and development.
- He reflects on his career in Sanford and the evolution of water capacity and services in the area.
03:22 Discussion on water access challenges and growth potential in Chatham County.
- The need for improved water and sewer access is crucial for future development in Chatham County.
- Partnership with Tri River is essential to address capacity limitations and facilitate managed growth.
06:16 Pittsboro’s water treatment needs significant capacity expansion for regional growth.
- The expansion from 12 to 30 million gallons per day at a cost of $400 million demonstrates the financial challenges in wastewater management.
- Current efforts include negotiations for property acquisition and design plans aimed at increasing wastewater treatment capacity in Pittsboro and benefiting neighboring Sanford.
08:54 Sanford focuses on regional partnerships for sustainable water capacity.
- The importance of collective thinking and regional development strategies to address water capacity challenges.
- The need to address peak water demands and explore cost-effective solutions for plant expansion.
11:44 Victor Czar discusses strategic partnerships to optimize water resources.
- Collaborating with other entities can significantly reduce initial costs for water plant operations.
- The focus is on regional cooperation to share costs and benefit all communities involved.
14:12 Regional development fosters economic growth through collaboration and shared resources.
- A regional approach enables counties to share commercial resources, addressing local issues collectively for better outcomes.
- Efforts to serve the mega site with wastewater treatment exemplify the importance of cooperation in attracting manufacturers to Chatham.
16:59 TriRiver’s wastewater plant expansion faced significant regulatory challenges.
- In 2010, TriRiver sought to expand their wastewater plant to manage increasing capacity demands.
- A meeting with state regulators revealed restrictions on expanding treatment capabilities linked to river discharge limits.
19:32 Daily water usage averages 40-50 gallons per person.
- Design standards often account for higher water usage, up to 75 gallons per day for safety.
- Wastewater plant sizing is influenced by population growth and local regulatory approvals.
22:26 Victor Czar emphasizes effective regional water management for growth.
- Czar highlights the importance of collaboration in managing water resources to ensure equitable costs and avoid competition.
- He stresses that a unified approach facilitates quicker decision-making in development while minimizing risks.
25:11 Victor Czar invites questions after his insights on TriRiver Water.
- The discussion briefly summarizes key elements about TriRiver Water.
- Participants are encouraged to engage and ask further questions.