Moffitt under fire: highlights from the Mountain Voices Alliance water forum

The Feb. 20 Mountain Voices Alliance water-system forum boasted 10 speakers, but most of the audience members seemed interested in just one: Buncombe County Rep. Tim Moffitt. These are some (but not all) of the highlights related to Moffitt’s comments and answers to questions directed at him during last night’s forum.
(Photo by Bill Rhodes) Representative Moffitt pauses to enjoy some bottled water when questions get hot.

LIVE: Coverage of Mountain Voices Alliance water-system forum

Tonight, Feb. 20, Mountain Voices Alliance is hosting an open forum about the future of the Asheville-Buncombe water system from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Jubilee! in downtown Asheville (46 Wall St.). For live dispatches via Twitter, follow staff reporter @MaryCaitlinByrd or #avlh2o or click through for a live feed and streaming video.
(Photo by Bill Rhodes)
Barry Summers (right) and Rep. Tim Moffitt discuss issues during a break at the forum.

Flooded with interest: Water-system forum attracts more than 200 *UPDATED with video*

A sacred topic attracted more than 200 people who crammed into the pews of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church on Monday night: the Asheville water system. Hosted by the Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters (and co-sponsored by Mountain Xpress and Urban News), the Feb. 13 forum served as an informational session to the public about the water system, its history and its possible future. These are the highlights.

The roots did it: Sewage cleanup under way at river park

Do you know where your waste goes after you flush it down the toilet? In the case of a 12-inch line that overflowed near the French Broad River Park on Sunday, it rushes downhill along Riverview Road on its way to a pumping station that carries it across the river. But on Sunday, that flow got interrupted, and citizen journalist Zen Sutherland snapped this photo of the nasties. Cleanup is under way, Metropolitan Sewerage District officials report. The problem? Probably a tree root.

A long, hard look

“What would be the ultimate cost of not having a regional approach?” — Nelda Holder, president,Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters Just get everything out on the table, and maybe everyone involved will feel obligated to address the stated problems. So says Gary Semlak, a former board member of the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe […]