Salisbury-Rowan Utilities’ history started before the turn of the century in 1886 when the Salisbury Water Co. was chartered. The private company was purchased by the City of Salisbury in 1901. In 1917 the City Council elected to change the water source from Crane Creek in Corbin Hills to the Yadkin River to provide a cleaner and more reliable water supply, and the original water treatment plant was constructed at 1 Water Street that same year.
Our Administration building has an interesting history. After the new water treatment facility was built at 405 N. Jackson in 1949 the Water St. building served as the Salisbury Police Station and jail from 1953-1977. It then became The Water Works Art Gallery, and even though it moved from the building in 2001, it kept the name. Remnants of both the jail and the art gallery exist in the building still today even though it currently serves as SRU’s Administrative Offices. The steel bars on what were 2 small jail cells & a few windows remain. There is also an artwork sculpture still standing in the SRU courtyard.
Our wastewater treatment began in 1935 when the Town Creek Treatment Plant was built to treat raw sewage before being discharged into Town Creek. Then in 1964 a second treatment plant was constructed at Grants Creek. That same year an additional reservoir was built making raw water storage capacity a total of 28 million gallons.
Many improvements, upgrades, and expansions occurred throughout the decades. When the Utilities’ Administration Dept. moved back to 1 Water Street in 2003, it also officially became Salisbury-Rowan Utilities serving our client communities throughout Rowan County.
Much growth occurred in the county since the Utility began. The original treatment capacity was only 1 million gallons of drinking water per day, but now SRU can treat up to 25 million gallons per day for our customers.
SRU currently has 1 water treatment plant treating an average of 9.3 million gallons per day, 2 wastewater facilities, and 15 water tanks which makes our finished water storage capacity 7,455,000 gallons. We also have 7 water booster stations, 35 wastewater lift stations, 2 laboratories, and over 900 Miles of water & sewer lines. Salisbury-Rowan Utilities also maintains nearly 3,000 fire hydrants.
Our current population being serviced for water is approximately 48,900 in Salisbury, Granite Quarry, Rockwell, Spencer, and China Grove. SRU also provides water and/or wastewater services to East Spencer, Faith, and Landis. We also have an emergency water connection with the city of Statesville if the need arises.