This project was the largest capital project in the history of the oldest water system east of the Mississippi River and the single largest water capital project north of Birmingham. The plant is also the first in Alabama to use sidestream treatment and the first with Huntsville Utilities to feed power back to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). All facilities were in service and actively treating and pumping wastewater during construction. This highly collaborative and challenging project completed almost a year ahead of schedule and under budget.

The new state-of-the-art facility includes a raw water intake pump station on the bank of the Guntersville Lake reservoir, approximately 5 miles of 42-inch raw water mains to feed the new facility, and approximately 7 miles of 48-inch finished water main tied into the existing distribution system. The treatment facility includes an administration and operations building with operations and laboratory facilities. The facility also includes conventional mixing, flocculation, and filtration facilities; a granular activated carbon contactor system; a disinfectant contact basin/clearwell structure; a finished water pumping system; and chemical storage and feed systems. Other structures include an elevated 1.1-million-gallon backwash water storage tank; a gravity sludge thickener; a spent backwash water storage basin; and sludge pumping facilities and drying beds. The facility initially treats 24 MGD, but as the demand for water grows, the facility can be expanded to treat 96 MGD.