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Founded 05-05-05

Blowing Rock, Boone Agree To Connect Water Systems

Story by Anna Oakes

The Blowing Rock Town Council has reached an agreement with the Town of Boone to connect the two municipalities’ water systems through the construction of a 26,000-foot water line.

The Blowing Rock council, in a special meeting Monday evening, voted to adopt the agreement being drafted by the Town of Boone. Boone Town Manager Greg Young said the Boone Town Council discussed the agreement in closed session prior to Monday and approved the agreement during a special meeting Monday afternoon. A notice of the meeting dated March 28 indicated that the council planned to discuss the Leola Street Community Garden lease but made no mention of the water connection.

The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after Gov. Mike Easley announced that Blowing Rock is eligible for a $300,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help expand its water supply.

Blowing Rock’s engineering firm, McGill Associates, has estimated the project will cost around $3.5 to $4 million, Blowing Rock Town Manager Scott Hildebran said. A 12-inch diameter water line will run along U.S. Highway 321 from the Blowing Rock Water Plant to Deerfield Road in Boone. The project also includes construction of a booster pump station, metering facilities, back flow protection devices and no fewer than 30 fire hydrants. Doug Chapman, Blowing Rock town engineer, said elevation increases about 500 feet from Boone to Blowing Rock, requiring the installation of two water pumps.

The interconnection point will be located at the Blowing Rock and Boone fire districts boundary along U.S. Highway 321. The connection agreement is a 20-year contract with a 10-year renewal option. Each municipality will control the section of pipe in its respective fire district.

Young said the Town of Boone intends to apply for a $1 million grant from the North Carolina Rural Center to help with project costs. The connection agreement stipulates that Boone is not responsible for any funding or costs above the $1 million N.C. Rural Center grant—Blowing Rock commits to paying the remainder of the costs. It also states that if the terms of the $300,000 ARC grant preclude Boone from receiving the N.C. Rural Center grant, then Blowing Rock will forego the ARC grant.

Blowing Rock is applying for a low-interest, 20-year loan from the state to finance the remaining costs, Hildebran said. The deadlines for the N.C. Rural Center grant and the loan application are both on Friday, April 4. Hildebran said the towns hope to know if they will receive the grant and loan by May 1, and if everything goes smoothly, the water line should be completed in 18 months.

Boone has access to a larger water source than Blowing Rock and recently signed a water connection agreement with Appalachian State University. The connection with Blowing Rock would create a regional system that all three entities could use during times of crisis.

Young said, “The primary benefit for having this interconnect is for emergency purposes. Water could travel either way and it would be a great benefit for emergencies.”

The connection of the Boone and Blowing Rock water systems is intended for emergency situations, including—but not limited to—drought, Hildebran said. The state has encouraged communities to connect their water systems for several years now, he said, but the terrain and elevation changes make that task more difficult in the mountains.

For now, Hildebran emphasized, the connection will not be used to extend public water to county locations, although such extensions could be possibile in the future.