Important Notice To Pluris Wedgefield Customers

Late on the evening of August 21, 2026, a severe lightning strike caused damage to the water treatment facility, to include computers, SCADA, PLC’s, and communication equipment resulting in low water pressure for customers for approximately three hours. The SCADA system is purposely designed and programmed for an extreme event such as this to enter a fail-safe mode. The fail-safe mode ensures continuing operation of critical systems such as pumps and disinfection equipment. At no time did the system pressure drop below the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (“FDEP”) requirement of 20 psi. Our field crew immediately implemented emergency procedures and worked diligently to restore water pressure to affected customers as quickly as possible.

In addition, a 4-inch water main break occurred on Majestic Street, resulting in a temporary loss of water service to the 36 connections located along the street. Once the repair was completed, a precautionary Boil Water Advisory was issued, and affected addresses received the precautionary boil water notices by door tags. Our field crew followed established emergency procedures to restore water service and ensure that the appropriate precautionary boil water notices were provided to all affected customers.

Field operations staff were immediately deployed to the water treatment facility and the water main line break. The FDEP was noticed and updated through the events. Field operation staff assessed the lightning strike damages at the water treatment plant as well as repairing the watermain line, which was concluded at approximately 2 AM ET. Per FDEP requirements, bacterial water samples for laboratory testing were obtained and pending results expected later today (Tuesday August 25th) the precautionary boil water notice to the 36 residents should be cleared for the residents. The notice remains in effect until the laboratory provides the results and Pluris notifies the affected residents.

Our Customer Care number, 888-758-7471, is answered after hours by a service that was actively receiving calls throughout the low-pressure event. Due to the high volume of calls received, customers may have experienced a wait time. However, all calls were answered and promptly dispatched to our field crew, and customers were provided with available information regarding the emergency.

Please note that correspondence sent to our Customer Care email address, [email protected], is monitored during regular business hours and will be addressed by our representatives on the next business day.

We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as our field crews worked diligently to address these incidents and restore water service as quickly and safely as possible.

Pluris Presents Membrane Bio-Reactor (“MBR”) paper in United Kingdom’s Wessex Institute Journal for the International Water Pollution Symposium

October 2020

Pluris Managing Member and Principal Engineer, Maurice Gallarda, PE along with Pluris’s consulting engineer Michael Gallant, PE presented a paper at as part of the International Water Pollution Symposium scheduled for May, in Valencia, Spain. Due to Covid-19, the symposium was conducted online between participants. The Paper entitled, “Membrane Bioreactor Wastewater Treatment Strategies for Sensitive Coastal Environments”, summarizes Pluris’s advanced membrane bio-reactor (“MBR”) wastewater treatment facilities along the environmentally sensitive coastal areas in North Carolina. The paper is published by the Wessex Institute and distributed throughout the European Union.

The presentation featured two of Pluris’s existing MBR facilities in North Carolina. Pluris’s third MBR facility was completed and brought online just after the presentation.


The two existing MBR facilities are shown in the photographs. North Carolina coastline consists of intercoastal waterways separating the mainland from the Barrier Islands. These waterways are environmentally sensitive areas where endangered species such as Sea Turtles and the Bald Eagle, which is a protected species, coexist along with humans. Significant population growth has been occurring in the area and along with the growth comes the challenge of treating increasing amounts of wastewater.


Pluris’s Membrane Bio-reactor wastewater treatment plants treat wastewater to near drinking water quality, representing one of the highest level of protection to the environment and public health. Two of Pluris’s MBR facilities have been operational dating back to 2012, since the first one was brought online near the intercoastal water ways near North Topsail Beach, a barrier island. The second MBR facility is situated near Wilmington and is near the waterways separating the mainland from Topsail Beach, another barrier island. The third MBR facility is located in Onslow County near Jacksonville. This facility began operating in July 2020, just after Journal publication.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality which is charged with protecting the environment and the North Carolina Utilities Commission which is charged with protecting rate payers have both expressed support of Pluris’s facilities as models of balancing environmental protection and public health with the costs borne by rate payers of North Carolina.

For more information regarding Pluris’s membrane bio-reactor wastewater treatment facilities or a copy of the presentation paper, readers are encouraged to contact Maurice Gallarda at [email protected] or Michael Gallant at [email protected].

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