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

March 13, 2008 issue

 

Public Hearing on Water Ordinance Changes March 20

Story by Kathleen McFadden

The Boone Town Council will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Boone Town Council Chambers on proposed amendments to Article VII of the Water and Sewer Code.

Article VII is the Water Conservation Ordinance, and the proposed changes include stricter percentage goals, specific conservation methods and recommendations, and new penalties that the town council can impose.

One of the proposed changes is a modification of the water shortage definition: a water shortage occurs when the quantity of water flowing from the town water system or an expected increase in that flow is equal to or greater than the town’s raw water supply or transmission capabilities.

Water shortage conditions are still defined as Stage I, Stage II and Stage III, with the higher numbers indicating increased severity and a move from voluntary to mandatory conservation.

The proposed ordinance change more clearly defines the water use reduction goals for each stage:

• Stage I: a 10 percent decrease in average daily demand for the same calendar month in each of the previous three years.

• Stage II: a 25 percent decrease in average daily demand for the same calendar month in each of the previous three years

• Stage III: a 50 percent decrease in average daily demand for the same calendar month in each of the previous three years.

The voluntary conservation measures for Stage I conditions that were already in the ordinance remain essentially the same.

The mandatory conservation measures in Stage II conditions also remain essentially the same, but a proposed ordinance change encourages commercial and institutional customers to undergo a water audit and to comply with the audit recommendations. Further, a proposed ordinance change would give the town council the power to limit total water consumption and to impose a surcharge on water system customers during Stage II conditions.

The mandatory conservation measures in Stage III conditions are also essentially the same as the existing ordinance. In Stage III, commercial and institutional customers must have a water audit and comply with its recommendations within 10 days unless the director extends the time limit because of the cost of the modifications.

As in Stage II, the town council would have the power to limit water consumption and impose a surcharge on water system customers in Stage III conditions.

The amounts of civil penalties assessed for violation of the mandatory Stage II and Stage III conservation measures remains the same. In Stage II, the penalty for a first offense is a warning, but fourth and subsequent offenses carry fines of $500.

In Stage III, the penalty for a first offense is $200, third and subsequent offenses are $1,000, and violators can be charged with a misdemeanor.