Hendersonville, North Carolina Development News

Utility Department Reports on Q2 Performance, Infrastructure Projects, and Water Shortage Plan Update; Proposed Utility Billing Policy Changes Presented

The City Council received an update on the utility department's Q2 2026 performance and project status. The report covered water and wastewater treatment volumes, non-revenue water, sanitary sewer overflows (none reported), and preliminary financials, showing strong revenue generation primarily from system development fees. Updates were provided on major infrastructure projects including the Water Distribution System Resiliency Looping Project (design phase, estimated completion late 2027, funded by grants and loans totaling $17.3M) and Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements (flood mitigation and expansion components, 90% design, seeking US EDA grant, funded by grants and low-interest loans totaling $35M for flood mitigation and $2M from Dogwood Health Trust for expansion). The department also reported on new water and sewer connections, the upcoming operation of a Bioolids Thermal Dryer, safety incidents, and staff accomplishments. A key discussion point was the Water Shortage Response Plan update, which now incorporates the new French Broad River intake and uses three stream gauges for trigger monitoring, significantly reducing the likelihood of entering water shortage stages compared to the previous plan based solely on the Mills River gauge. Changes to the plan include simplified stage titles (Advisory, Warning, Alert, Emergency), a revised reduction goal of 5% for Stage 1, and updated allowable surcharge criteria. Additionally, proposed changes to the utility billing and collection policy were presented, aiming to reduce bad debt and improve revenue recovery through updated contract terms, stricter collection procedures, revised security deposits, and a shortened disconnection timeline for unpaid bills. Leak adjustment policies and corrective billing procedures were also proposed for streamlining.