UNC Chapel Hill, Kenan Stadium Reclaimed Water

As a part of the new Kenan Stadium turf replacement project for the 2025 NCAA football season, UNC needed to rehabilitate and reconnect their reclaimed water line to the OWASA system. The new natural turf field at Kenan Stadium utilizes the OWASA reclaim water system for irrigation.

The McAdams SUE team played a critical role in location of all utility systems in the vicinity of the new connection, pumps, and routing from the OWASA system into the stadium. Avoiding critical, active utility systems on a congested and operational campus environment is crutial to avoid conflicts, shut downs, and delays. Once all utility systems were identified and mapped, the McAdams Civil Team designed a final vertical route, pump system, and connection to the irrigation system which was installed with the new turf. All permitting with OWASA was completed in time for the installation of the infrastructure.

By combining McAdams SUE, Geomatics, and Civil Engineering teams, the Tarheels were able to successfully reconnect Kenan Stadium to the reclaim water system and provide irrigation water in an environmentally-responsible way, aligning with the University’s values for stewardship.