Raleigh moving forward with recycled water project

Raleigh, N.C. — A City Council committee has voted to proceed with planned project to build a 17-mile pipeline that would allow some municipal water customers to use treated wastewater for outdoor irrigation.

The vote reverses a decision last month to delay the project for further review.

The $20 million pipeline would pump treated wastewater from the city's Neuse River plant southeast of the city to North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus. Large water users like golf courses, hospitals, businesses and N.C. State could tap into the system for watering, washing outdoor surfaces and other non-potable uses.

The city has already spent $5 million on the project, and some council members expressed concern last month about spending so much money on a system few water customers could use.