Boone, ASU sign

water use pact
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

One could call it a bridge over troubled water.

A water and sewer interconnection agreement between the town of Boone and Appalachian State University could serve to not only boost water availability, but further improve relations between the two entities.

Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson met with ASU Chancellor Ken Peacock Tuesday afternoon to jointly sign the agreement which would provide an emergency supply of water for the town, while crediting water to the university.

Both parties agreed to mutually fund the approximately $250,000 in expenses of design, construction, maintenance and operation of the interconnection, set to be established off Hardin Street and accessible through Durham Park on the ASU campus.

ASU chief of staff Lorin Baumhover said the proposed location is the closest point between both water systems, and the access would resemble other university buildings and fit aesthetically into the park area.

The agreement comes right on the heels of a charge from Gov. Mike Easley, who, on Monday, suggested that drought-stricken communities pursue interconnections as an immediate remedy. However, town and gown had been considering such a plan for nearly two years.

“[This] just indicates once again that the town of Boone and Appalachian State are ahead of the curve,” Peacock said.

Following a thorough analysis of the town’s water system, consulting engineers had recommended the town establish an interconnection with the university, which could be used in instances of water shortage.

According to the agreement, beginning on Jan. 1, 2011, the university agrees to supply and sell water to the town, and the town would accept and/or credit the university for water equal to the amount supplied by the town to university facilities, like the Appalachian Panhellenic Hall, existing facilities on State Farm Road, facilities on Poplar Grove Road and the McKinney Alumni Center on Blowing Rock Road.

The agreement says the university may also supply and sell to the town per request an amount of water at least equal to that supplied by the town to university-owned or -controlled facilities.

“Both of us can share this,” Clawson said. “What ASU gives us at the end of these three years, we can use for other projects that go online.”

“We began to realize, if we give [water] to [the town] now, they don’t have anybody to buy it right now, so it’s a loss of revenue from the town’s standpoint, and that was not the plan at all,” Peacock explained. “So, the benefit from an Appalachian perspective comes financially down the road when that water goes in.”

With the agreement signed, Peacock said both parties will now pursue state grants to help fund the joint venture. Bearing in mind the governor’s suggestion, Clawson and Peacock are optimistic that grant funding will be available from state sources.

“But for some reason if that comes up dry, we are prepared from both the town’s perspective and the university’s perspective to put the dollars in to make this happen,” Peacock said. “It’s too important. It’s important for both the town and the university.”

Peacock and Clawson signed a sewer access and compliance agreement, as well, that would ensure the university’s connections to the town system are fully compatible.

As far as water is concerned, though, Baumhover said the university is committed to helping Watauga with its water woes.

“This is not a permanent solution,” he stressed, “but it helps us work through the water crisis now. We’re looking forward to finding solutions for Boone and for Blowing Rock, as well.”