Sustainability expert Doug Bruggeman is proposing an investment strategy to protect multiple watersheds in WNC.

N.C. Supreme Court rules taking of Asheville water system unconstitu­tional

“Many years ago,” says Mayor Manheimer, “our city leadership made the bold and wise investment in a watershed and water infrastructure that provided the foundation for the robust water system we have today … This ruling ensures that Asheville can continue to own this great water system and continue to provide safe drinking water for years into the future.”

Cleaning up toxic mercury from dental offices

Dental appointments make plenty of people nervous, but water pollution isn’t usually what they’re worrying about. According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, however, dental offices are responsible for 50 percent of the mercury entering the nation’s wastewater. Dental amalgam is 49 percent mercury by weight, and dental offices discharge about 4.4 tons of it annually. […]

RiverLink invites community to tour MSD wastewater treatment plant

After millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the French Broad River last week, RiverLink saw an educational opportunity surface. The nonprofit will host a tour of MSD’s wastewater treatment plant June 4 at 10 a.m. (Pictured: French Broad River Academy students visit the RiverLink office to learn about the urban water cycle, the focus of the upcoming tour. (Photo courtesy of RiverLink)

MSD board meeting mixes humor and politics

A seemingly straightforward meeting of the board of the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County took two surprising turns on Wednesday afternoon. One led to a staff report on a private sewer-line failure that took more than two years to resolve. The other led to a vote on withdrawing a December proposal to the city of Asheville regarding the possible merger of water and sewer management — an action that was rejected. UPDATED THURSDAY, APRIL 18.