Although Asheville’s Water Resources Department hasn’t imposed any water conservation measures, voluntary or otherwise, it’s keeping a very close eye on the levels at its two reservoirs and the French Broad River, notes Jade Dundas, the department’s director.
Asheville’s system draws about 70 percent of its supply from the North Fork Reservoir in Swannanoa, he says. The rest comes from the Bee Tree Reservoir (also in Swannanoa) and the city’s intake on the Mills River in Henderson County.
The department’s state-approved flood mitigation plan recommends keeping the North Fork’s water level at 7 1/2 feet below capacity in November. This year, says Dundas, the level is almost 17 feet below capacity. The reservoir was last at full capacity after some rain in August.
In addition to regular water supply agreements with Black Mountain, Woodfin and Biltmore Forest, Asheville also has emergency connections with Weaverville and Hendersonville. Dundas says he doesn’t believe those connections have been used within recent memory, but they can provide backup in case of problems at a water treatment facility or in the distribution network.
According to a Nov. 9 city of Asheville press release, the Water Resources Department can institute three levels of conservation measures.
Phase I voluntary measures ask users to reduce their consumption. Phase II measures prohibit using irrigation systems, watering lawns and washing vehicles at home, and commercial customers are “asked to conserve as much as possible while not impacting their revenue and employees’ jobs.” Under phase III restrictions, the department can impose a surcharge, currently set at $1.40 per 748 gallons of water.
The department estimates that phase I and II restrictions would each reduce usage by 2 percent; phase III measures would likely yield an additional 6 percent cut.
— Virginia Daffron
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