Town opens valve on increased water allowance
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

The Boone Town Council unanimously approved an ordinance change to let water allocations flow a bit more generously.

By amending Ordinance 05-01, the council effectively doubled its yearly water allotment for allocations. The ordinance was written in 2004 to conserve water until the town’s system could be upgraded to meet future needs, permitting the town to allocate 25,000 gallons per day (gpd) per year.

Under the revisions, 50,000 gpd will be available annually for allocation through 2011.

“This was done by calculating the five-day maximum consecutive average for the month of October,” Boone Public Utilities director Rick Miller explained, adding that October is considered Boone’s peak usage month, considering the amount of tourists visiting for fall colors and Appalachian State University football games.

The average this year was 2.25 million gallons per day (mgd), or 75 percent of the town’s permitted capacity, which reflects a 9 percent decrease from 2006. The maximum was subtracted by 2.7 mgd, or 90 percent of the town’s permitted capacity, which serves as a threshold at which the state can impose a moratorium, leaving 450,000 gpd.

For developments already under way, 200,000 gpd was allocated from the 450,000, leaving 250,000 gpd.

From there, 30,000 gpd was allocated over three years (10,000 gpd each year) for vacant lots, which were previously accounting for 143,000 gpd. With 220,000 gpd left, 50,000 gpd per year was slated for the yearly allotment through 2011, leaving a 20,000 gpd margin of error.

Prior to the amendment, the council followed the N.C. Discharge Schedule in determining allocation amounts. Council member Bunk Spann noted that after gathering years of actual data and trends, the Boone Water Study Committee was able to build a model based on actual numbers.

“Council felt very strongly that we needed a full year trend line of information to see the actual amount of water we’re going to be using, as compared to the amount of water allocated by the North Carolina discharge rate,” Spann said. “This data gives a solid foundation to go forward in terms of allocating water in the future.”

Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson asked Miller to comment on the town’s standing in the state drought. While Watauga County has seen some rain and even a day of snow flurries, the town remains in a Stage I Water Shortage Condition, which encourages voluntary water conservation.

At a Nov. 8 meeting, the council amended the water and sewer ordinance to allow a prompt declaration of Stage II, which entails mandatory conservation, if necessary.

“The governor, of course, is wanting everyone to conserve as much as possible,” Miller said. “There’s a very big concern about next summer, because the extended forecast doesn’t give much snow or rain for fall or winter.”

Council member Janet Pepin moved to adopt the changes to ordinance 05-01, Spann seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.