The Cherokee tribe has long understood the importance of water management for the health of its communities in North Carolina.
Utilizing federal grants and tribal funding, they have developed a network of water treatment and reclamation systems.
These include the Aquone facility, built along the namesake creek in 2000. It utilizes a direct filtration process pairing aluminum-based coagulants with anthracite and sand filters that can treat 1.5 million gallons per day. This provides safe, clean drinking water meeting all EPA standards for the region. On the wastewater side, excess sewage is managed by intricately connected underground pipes that divert effluent to the 45-acre Echota facility.
By relying on a series of constructed wetland ponds, natural bacterial processes are able to decompose solids and purify the water before it is carefully discharged downstream along the Oconaluftee River watershed. With their technical capabilities and responsible environmental stewardship, the Cherokee’s hydrological systems promise to support their community’s needs well into the next generation.