The Town of Murphy's wastewater collection system is compromised of approximately 24 miles of gravity sewer lines ranging from 4-inch to 16-inch diameter, and approximately ten (10) miles of sewer force mains ranging in size from 4-inch to 12-inch diameter. There are 15 sewer pump stations in the system, including the No.1 Pump Station, which pumps the entire sewer flow collected to the Town's Wastewater Treatment Plant located on Payne Street across the Hiwassee River. The oldest sections of the sewer system are in the downtown area. These sewer lines were constructed in the 1910s utilizing vitrified clay pipe and brick manholes.
The original wastewater treatment plant was constructed in 1966 and was upgraded in 1987; some of the basins from this construction are still in use. In 2002 the Town completed an expansion of the wastewater treatment plant to convert the facility to a 1.4 million gallon per day sequencing batch reactor plant, and also added influent screening and a sludge dewatering facility. Additional improvements to the plant were made in 2012 to improve operations during peak wet weather flow events.
Tyler White is the Wastewater Treatment Plant ORC. Mr. White holds a Grade IV wastewater operator's license — the highest certification a wastewater plant operator can attain in the state of North Carolina, and a collections II license. Mr. White can be reached at 828-837-5035.
The Town of Murphy discharges into the Hiwassee River. The Town's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit # is NC0020940.