Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson made a pitch for the town’s
new water-intake plant as the days count down to an important
referendum vote on Nov. 4.
Boone Town Council members
Stephen Phillips and Lynne Mason discuss the town’s
water plant during a Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn
Friday. Photo by Scott
Nicholson
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the presentation Friday
as part of its Lunch and Learn series, with town officials presenting
information on its proposed raw-water intake system near Ashe
County’s Brownwood community.
Chamber president Dan Meyer said the chamber is interested in
water because of its role in the community, including business
growth, and even though it was raining Friday, local water tables
were still low.
“We want to educate the people in this county and other counties
about the town of Boone,” Clawson said, adding that people
had to help each other in drought conditions. She said the town
had a responsibility to provide clean water to residents.
In 2004, the town commissioned a water supply study that showed
the town was reaching its capacity for water supply, with population
projections showing an increased demand for water.
By 2060, the town’s population is expected to double from
its current 14,000, and Clawson said businesses and water users
would more than double.
“As anybody can see, we are a growing area and ASU is certainly
growing,” Clawson said, noting the town had started a conservation
program in 2005. The town also began reviewing new water connections
on a case-by-case basis as it approached usage levels that could
trigger a state-imposed moratorium on water requests.
“We certainly never want to get into that situation, where
we have to stop hook-ups for homes and businesses,” she said.
Clawson said the town has a 5,000-gallon rainwater collection
system that is also used to disperse brine to melt ice on sidewalks
and town streets. The town is also hosting educational events
for youth focusing on water conservation and recycling.
The town also raised its usage rates, based on Gov. Mike Easley’s
recommendations, so that customers using higher amounts of water
paid higher rates. The town has been slowly raising rates over
the last few years to build enterprise funds for new infrastructure
and supplies.
Clawson said the selection of the New River site for a new intake
plant would be stringently reviewed by the state, and she said
the town would draw a maximum of four million gallons a day. She
recognized the New River was a national treasure and said the
town has developed several restoration projects to protect water
quality. “That’s why environmental stewardship is absolutely
vital,” she said.
Clawson said water drawn from the river would be replaced upstream
as it returns through the wastewater treatment facility. She said
the water returning to the river would be of better quality than
the raw water taken out, and said the town would pay attention
to the plant’s appearance and noise.
The town has a purchase option on 10 acres of land bordering Ashe
and Watauga counties, with the plant proposed for the Watauga
side. Clawson said the state may impose more land-use restrictions
to help protect water quality of the plant is approved.
“There is enough water at the proposed site to get enough
water and still keep the New River flowing,” she said. “The
river should be better protected as a result of the new facility.”
Town council member Lynne Mason encouraged the audience to get
information on the upcoming $25 million bond referendum. The bond
was recommended by the Local Government Commission and Mason said
it would likely carry a lower interest rate that other financing
options. She said the bond or loan would be repaid through the
town’s water-and-sewer fund.
Mason said the town would eventually need a new water-treatment
plant that would cost about $16 million. The plant is expected
to be online in five years if it passes environmental reviews.
Mason said conservation and the addition of water from a new interconnection
with Appalachian State University would probably allow growth
to continue while the plant is under construction.
The engineering firm W.K. Dickson is expected to send an engineering
report to 18 separate state and federal agencies for review at
the end of October.
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