Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

Boone Town Council Water Presentation Draws—No One

Story by Kathleen McFadden

Boone Town Council member Rennie Brantz discussed the need for a new raw water intake on Monday evening. Photo by Kathleen McFadden In the November General Election, Boone residents will be asked to vote yes or no on a $25 million bond referendum to fund a proposed new water intake on the New River near Todd, about 12 miles from Boone.

To inform voters about the need for a new water source and to answer their questions, the mayor, the town manager, the town clerk and all five members of the Boone Town Council assembled in Town Council Chambers on Monday evening. No one attended the presentation except two media representatives.

Despite the empty chairs, council member Rennie Brantz presented a PowerPoint presentation that makes the case for a new water source for the town.

Brantz emphasized the town’s focus over the past three years on water conservation—methods that appear to be having some effect on reducing water consumption—and the council’s case-by-case approval of new water requests to demonstrate the actions the council has taken to ensure that the town does not exceed its permitted water withdrawal capacity. Boone’s water use is already at 80 percent of its permitted capacity, he said. If that number rises to 90 percent, the state could impose a moratorium on new water connections.

Providing water is one of the primary responsibilities of government, Brantz continued, as important as providing police and fire protection. But water demand in Boone, he said, is expected to triple over the next 50 years as the population doubles. The current water intake permit will not permit that kind of expansion.
The proposed site on the South Fork of the New River, Brantz said, is the best site available in terms of economics, proximity and practicality. To illustrate the council’s appreciation of the environmental importance of the New River, Brantz outlined a number of initiatives that demonstrate the council’s approach to environmental stewardship.

For its permit at the site, the town is requesting a maximum withdrawal of 4 million gallons per day from the river, but Brantz said initially the town will only withdraw 1.5 million gallons per day for at least 8 to 10 years because that’s the limit the current water treatment plant will be able to handle after its filters are upgraded. The town does not anticipate building another water treatment plant for at least a decade.

In addition, because of the number of review agencies and the permitting process, “it will be 5 years before a drop of water is taken from the Todd site,” Brantz said.

Withdrawing the water from the river will have no appreciable effect on the river flow, Brantz said, because the town will be returning almost all of the water—an estimated 99 percent—it removes from the river back to the river through the town’s wastewater treatment plant downstream. In effect, Boone’s treated water will be cycling back through the system once the new intake is established, he said.

In addition, the reintroduced water will contain fewer impurities and higher oxygen levels than the water removed from the river.

Brantz said the council is committed to making the intake site on the river esthetically pleasing by designing an appropriate housing—perhaps resembling a barn—to enclose the machinery and by taking steps to limit noise and light pollution. “It will fit in; it will be attractive; it will not disrupt the appearance of the area,” Brantz said.

Engineering firm W.K. Dickson is currently conducting an assessment on the site, identifying potential biological, archeological and environmental factors that may require mitigation. The results are expected in late October.

The water presentation will be made again on Friday, October 10, at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch and Learn at Town Council Chambers. To reserve a seat at the noon presentation, call the chamber 828-264-2225.

Boone’s Proposed New Water Intake—Numbers

During a question and answer period following the formal presentation on the proposed new water intake, Boone Town Manager Greg Young provided the following information.

$85,000: The price per acre of the approximately 10-acre tract along the New River proposed for the raw water intake. The town has an option on the property that is currently being surveyed.

$25 million: Estimated cost of the project and the amount of the bond referendum

$1.8 million: Estimated annual debt service on the loan for the project, based on a USDA loan with an interest rate of 4.63 percent

$800,000: Amount of money set aside after three years toward debt service on the project

40 years: Loan term if the town is successful in arranging financing through the USDA