Asheville

The Division of Water Resources (DWR) provides the data contained within this Local Water Supply Plan (LWSP) as a courtesy and service to our customers. DWR staff does not field verify data. Neither DWR, nor any other party involved in the preparation of this LWSP attests that the data is completely free of errors and omissions. Furthermore, data users are cautioned that LWSPs labeled PROVISIONAL have yet to be reviewed by DWR staff. Subsequent review may result in significant revision. Questions regarding the accuracy or limitations of usage of this data should be directed to the water system and/or DWR.

1. System Information

Contact Information

Complete

Water System Name: Asheville   PWSID: 01-11-010
Mailing Address:PO Box 7148
Asheville, NC 28802
Ownership:Municipality
 
Contact Person:Brenna CookTitle:Compliance Manager
Phone:828-777-2695Cell/Mobile:--
 
Secondary Contact:David Melton Phone:828-259-5957
Mailing Address:PO Box 7148
Asheville, NC 28802
Cell/Mobile:--
Distribution System
Line Type Size Range (Inches) Estimated % of lines
Asbestos Cement 4-8 0.50 %
Cast Iron 6-24 47.00 %
Ductile Iron 6-24 32.00 %
Galvanized Iron 2-4 16.00 %
Other 14-36 2.00 %
Polyvinyl Chloride 2-12 2.50 %
What are the estimated total miles of distribution system lines?   1,703 Miles
How many feet of distribution lines were replaced during 2021?   18,925 Feet
How many feet of new water mains were added during 2021?   2,388 Feet
How many meters were replaced in 2021?   434
How old are the oldest meters in this system?   39 Year(s)
How many meters for outdoor water use, such as irrigation, are not billed for sewer services?   686
What is this system's finished water storage capacity?   27.0380 Million Gallons
Has water pressure been inadequate in any part of the system since last update? Line breaks that were repaired quickly should not be included.   No

Estimated total miles of distribution lines is based on current GIS data. There are 55 pressure zones in the water system, ranging from 20 to 643 psi with an average pressure of 180-200psi.

Programs
Does this system have a program to work or flush hydrants?   Yes, Annually
Does this system have a valve exercise program?   Yes, 2 Years or More
Does this system have a cross-connection program?   Yes
Does this system have a program to replace meters?   Yes
Does this system have a plumbing retrofit program?   No
Does this system have an active water conservation public education program?   Yes
Does this system have a leak detection program?   Yes

There is a valve crew of 5 employees that exercise, maintain and schedule shutdowns through engineering as needed. GPS information is collected to ensure GIS data integrity is maintained while work is conducted. Leak survey consists of a two person team who conduct proactive system-wide leak detection daily. They utilize Gutterman correlators, Perma Net SU units, and DX and L mics as needed. The Cross-Connection Control team consists of two Backflow Inspectors and one Supervisor.

Water Conservation
What type of rate structure is used?   Decreasing Block, Uniform
How much reclaimed water does this system use?   0.0000 MGD   For how many connections?   0
Does this system have an interconnection with another system capable of providing water in an emergency?   Yes

Uniform rate structure is used for single-family residential, multi-family residential, and wholesale/bulk customers. Decreasing block structure is used for commercial and manufacturing customers.

2. Water Use Information

Service Area
Sub-Basin(s)% of Service Population
French Broad River (05-2)100 %
County(s)% of Service Population
Buncombe98 %
Henderson2 %
What was the year-round population served in 2021?   156,034
Has this system acquired another system since last report?   No

We do not have a seasonal population. Year round population increased due to state records in 2021 when we received our permit to operate and water system. A GIS Map was sent to Vardry Austin with NCDEQ on February 3, 2022 per his request.

Water Use by Type
Type of Use Metered
Connections
Metered
Average Use (MGD)
Non-Metered
Connections
Non-Metered
Estimated Use (MGD)
Residential 55,150 8.6905 0 0.0000
Commercial 4,050 3.9284 0 0.0000
Industrial 11 0.6375 0 0.0000
Institutional 619 1.7624 0 0.0000

How much water was used for system processes (backwash, line cleaning, flushing, etc.)?   0.5490 MGD

Residential included Single-Family, Permanent Extension (Hardship), and irrigation. Industrial includes Manufacturing rate class. Institutional includes Churches, Hospitals, Medical, Schools, Fire Departments and Wholesale.

The Water Usage for System Processes is higher than last few years because we clarified we needed to add distribution system flushing to the total.

Water Sales
Purchaser PWSID Average
Daily Sold
(MGD)
Days
Used
Contract Required to
comply with water
use restrictions?
Pipe Size(s)
(Inches)
Use
Type
MGD Expiration Recurring
City of Hendersonville 01-45-010 0.0000 0 0.0000 2026 No Yes 14 Emergency
Town of Biltmore Forest 01-11-030 0.1419 365 0.3500 2022 Yes Yes 6, 8 Regular
Town of Black Mountain 01-11-020 0.4168 365 0.4400 2022 Yes Yes 8 Regular
Town of Weaverville 01-11-025 0.0000 0 0.0000 Yes No 8 Emergency
Woodfin Sanitary Water & Sewer District 01-11-015 0.3230 365 1.0000 2026 Yes Yes 8 Regular

We have an annual contract with the Town of Black Mountain. The contract amount is 0.44 MGD.

3. Water Supply Sources

Monthly Withdrawals & Purchases
Average Daily
Use (MGD)
Max Day
Use (MGD)
Average Daily
Use (MGD)
Max Day
Use (MGD)
Average Daily
Use (MGD)
Max Day
Use (MGD)
Jan 21.0800 22.2900 May 22.3500 24.2700 Sep 23.0500 24.7600
Feb 20.7400 21.8400 Jun 23.1200 26.0400 Oct 22.8200 24.3900
Mar 20.6900 21.7500 Jul 23.0500 25.2900 Nov 22.1900 23.4000
Apr 21.3500 22.8100 Aug 23.1600 25.4200 Dec 22.1600 23.1100

Surface Water Sources
Stream Reservoir Average Daily Withdrawal Maximum Day
Withdrawal (MGD)
Available Raw
Water Supply
Usable On-Stream
Raw Water Supply
Storage (MG)
MGD Days Used MGD * Qualifier
Bee Tree Creek Bee Tree 2.8500 298 3.6000 3.3000 T 512.0000
Mills and French Broad Rivers N/A 3.5900 200 4.6600 47.6000 F 0.0000
North Fork of Swannanoa Burnett 17.5100 365 20.8000 19.7000 T 5,600.0000

* Qualifier: C=Contract Amount, SY20=20-year Safe Yield, SY50=50-year Safe Yield, F=20% of 7Q10 or other instream flow requirement, CUA=Capacity Use Area Permit

Surface Water Sources (continued)
Stream Reservoir Drainage Area
(sq mi)
Metered? Sub-Basin County Year
Offline
Use
Type
Bee Tree Creek Bee Tree 8 Yes French Broad River (05-2) Buncombe Regular
Mills and French Broad Rivers N/A 74 Yes French Broad River (05-2) Henderson Regular
North Fork of Swannanoa Burnett 25 Yes French Broad River (05-2) Buncombe Regular
What is this system's off-stream raw water supply storage capacity?   15 Million gallons
Are surface water sources monitored?   Yes, Daily
Are you required to maintain minimum flows downstream of its intake or dam?   Yes
Does this system anticipate transferring surface water between river basins?   No

The North Fork (Burnette) Reservoir Dam Improvements environmental permitting requires a minimum flow depending on the level of the lake. The Available Water Supply was incorrectly reported in the past for the North Fork of the Swannanoa, so the change from 31.0 to 19.7 MGD is due to the release requirements along with the incorrect number being reported. In 2020, the number should have been 21.5 for the North Fork of the Swannanoa. The Mills River Water Treatment Plant has an off-stream raw water storage capacity of 15 million gallons.

The actual Qualifier for the Available Raw Water Supply is SY-80. Was told by NC DEQ representative to leave the qualifier as is since we did not have that specific selection.

The 2021 plan was updated with available supply for the Mills and French Broad Rivers based on 7Q10 calculations performed by CDM-Smith.

Water Purchases From Other Systems
Seller PWSID Average
Daily Purchased
(MGD)
Days
Used
Contract Required to
comply with water
use restrictions?
Pipe Size(s)
(Inches)
Use
Type
MGD Expiration Recurring
City of Hendersonville 01-45-010 0.0000 0 0.0000 Yes Yes 24 Emergency
Town of Black Mountain 01-11-020 0.0000 0 0.0000 Yes Yes 6 Emergency
Town of Weaverville 01-11-025 0.0000 0 0.0000 Yes Yes 8 Emergency
Woodfin Sanitary Water & Sewer District 01-11-015 0.0000 0 0.0000 Yes Yes 8 Emergency
Water Treatment Plants
Plant Name Permitted Capacity
(MGD)
Is Raw Water Metered? Is Finished Water Ouput Metered? Source
Mills River WTP 7.5000 Yes Yes Mills and French Broad Rivers
North Fork WTP 31.5000 Yes Yes Burnett Reservoir
William DeBruhl WTP 5.0000 Yes Yes Bee Tree Reservoir
Did average daily water production exceed 80% of approved plant capacity for five consecutive days during 2021?  No
     If yes, was any water conservation implemented?  
Did average daily water production exceed 90% of approved plant capacity for five consecutive days during 2021?  No
     If yes, was any water conservation implemented?  
Are peak day demands expected to exceed the water treatment plant capacity in the next 10 years?  No

4. Wastewater Information

Monthly Discharges
Average Daily
Discharge (MGD)
Average Daily
Discharge (MGD)
Average Daily
Discharge (MGD)
Jan 23.1100 May 25.4100 Sep 21.0100
Feb 24.9900 Jun 22.7300 Oct 23.5700
Mar 30.0100 Jul 21.0500 Nov 19.7100
Apr 25.3300 Aug 24.3900 Dec 19.2700

How many sewer connections does this system have?   44,123
How many water service connections with septic systems does this system have?   14,837
Are there plans to build or expand wastewater treatment facilities in the next 10 years?   Yes

The Average Daily Discharge information includes both the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD), permit # NC0024911 and the three City of Asheville Water Treatment Facilities discharge permits. MSD does not plan to expand their treatment facility, but City of Asheville has plans to build a treatment system for their sludge removal processes for all three Water Treatment Facilities, hopefully in the next 10 years.

The number of sewer connections reported is just for the City of Asheville and not all MSD connections since they serve other water utilities in Buncombe County.

The number for service connections with a septic system was determined by searching for accounts that did not have sewer or irrigation connections.

Wastewater Permits
Permit Number Type Permitted Capacity
(MGD)
Design Capacity
(MGD)
Average Annual
Daily Discharge
(MGD)
Maximum Day Discharge
(MGD)
Receiving Stream Receiving Basin
NC0035807 WTP 4.7600 4.7600 0.2480 0.6980 North Fork of Swannanoa French Broad River (05-2)
NC0056961 WTP 0.8000 0.8000 0.0390 0.1420 Bee Tree Creek French Broad River (05-2)
NCG590034 WTP 0.0640 0.0640 0.0473 0.4060 French Broad River French Broad River (05-2)

Mills River discharge permit was switched to a general permit (NCG590034) starting Feb 1, 2021. Deleted the old permit from report (NC0085511).

Wastewater Interconnections
Water System PWSID Type Average Daily Amount Contract
Maximum (MGD)
MGD Days Used
Metropolitan Sewerage District 00-00-000 Discharging 22.6900 365 0.0000

5. Planning

Projections
  2021 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Year-Round Population 156,034 135,357 149,518 165,161 182,441 201,528
Seasonal Population 0 0 0 0 0 0
 
Residential 8.6905 9.0530 10.0000 11.0460 12.2020 13.4780
Commercial 3.9284 4.3730 4.8310 5.3360 5.8950 6.5110
Industrial 0.6375 0.7430 0.7820 0.8210 0.8630 0.9080
Institutional 1.7624 1.7860 1.9730 2.1800 2.4080 2.6600
System Process 0.5490 0.3000 0.3310 0.3660 0.4040 0.4460
Unaccounted-for 5.3545 5.5909 6.1625 6.7926 7.4884 8.2558
Demand v/s Percent of Supply
  2021 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Surface Water Supply 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000
Ground Water Supply 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Purchases 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Future Supplies 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Total Available Supply (MGD) 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000 70.6000
Service Area Demand 20.9223 21.8459 24.0795 26.5416 29.2604 32.2588
Sales 0.8817 1.7900 1.7900 1.7900 1.7900 1.7900
Future Sales 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Total Demand (MGD) 21.8040 23.6359 25.8695 28.3316 31.0504 34.0488
Demand as Percent of Supply 31% 33% 37% 40% 44% 48%

The purpose of the above chart is to show a general indication of how the long-term per capita water demand changes over time. The per capita water demand may actually be different than indicated due to seasonal populations and the accuracy of data submitted. Water systems that have calculated long-term per capita water demand based on a methodology that produces different results may submit their information in the notes field.

Your long-term water demand is 56 gallons per capita per day. What demand management practices do you plan to implement to reduce the per capita water demand (i.e. conduct regular water audits, implement a plumbing retrofit program, employ practices such as rainwater harvesting or reclaimed water)? If these practices are covered elsewhere in your plan, indicate where the practices are discussed here.    No Changes

Are there other demand management practices you will implement to reduce your future supply needs?   Asheville has implemented the following practices that could reduce the per capita demand: 1) meter replacement program; 20 water conservation public education program; 3) leak detection program; and 4) an aggressive non-revenue water program to reduce water loss.

What supplies other than the ones listed in future supplies are being considered to meet your future supply needs?   None are being considered at this time.

How does the water system intend to implement the demand management and supply planning components above?   1) Meter Replacement Program: The department has bid out the next round of meters and is moving forward for meter replacement in 2022-2023 to replace our Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). 2) Water Conservation Public Education: Water Production Staff, Water Resources ISO Program Coordinator, and River Keepers to resume tours of the treatment facilities to various education groups in 2022 or once COVID numbers decrease. The department also partners with Land-of-Sky Regional Council Waste Reduction Partners annually for $15,000 to conduct commercial water audits and to provide assistance to area schools interested in pursuing student water education programs. 3) Leak Detection Program: the leak detection program consists of two (2) Utility System Mappers, who do so on as-needed basis. The DigiCorr leak detection system by Flow Metrix, Inc. is the type of leak detection equipment used. The DigiCorr Pro mapping and database software is used in conjunction with the DigiCorr equipment; and 4) Non-Revenue Water Program: The department continues to contract with Cavanaugh & Associates to track non-revenue water. Water loss has been reduced approximately 19%.

Additional Information

Has this system participated in regional water supply or water use planning?  Yes, The department is currently under contract with Hazen and Sawyer to update the Water System Master Plan to project area growth and system expansion needed to accommodate the projected growth. The department continues to contract with industry experts Cavanaugh & Associates to assist in a systematic program to reduce non-revenue water. Overall, the department has reduced its non-revenue water by approximately 19%.

What major water supply reports or studies were used for planning?  2009 Water System Master Plan Update, 2011 Water and Sewer Rate Study; AWWA Water Audit and Drought Model.

Please describe any other needs or issues regarding your water supply sources, any water system deficiencies or needed improvements (storage, treatment, etc.) or your ability to meet present and future water needs. Include both quantity and quality considerations, as well as financial, technical, managerial, permitting, and compliance issues:   Currently, the 23 year old Mills River Water Treatment Facility's Phase 1 updates/improvements are scheduled to be completed in May 2022. Phase 2 will be bid out in the Summer of 2022. The project includes another off-stream raw water storage reservoir, an additional 1 MG clearwell, an additional waste lagoon, additional intake pump & replacing the older pumps , new finished water pumps, new drives for all these pumps, addition of I-Beam trains in transfer pumps and intake to aid in future maintenance of motors, new chemical tanks for all bulk chemicals, new chemical injection pumps, new rapid mixers and flocculator and associated drives, new filter consoles, and update to SCADA integration and controls. The cost of this project is $15M and will take almost 2 years to complete. We are researching opportunities for grants/low interest loans for the Mills River WTP Phase 2 project along with the design for the retrofit of the North Fork and William DeBruhl WTPs to move from direct filtration to conventional treatment. NC Public Water Supply informed utilities in 2021 that Direct Filtration Plants would be required to move to Conventional Treatment.

The Division of Water Resources (DWR) provides the data contained within this Local Water Supply Plan (LWSP) as a courtesy and service to our customers. DWR staff does not field verify data. Neither DWR, nor any other party involved in the preparation of this LWSP attests that the data is completely free of errors and omissions. Furthermore, data users are cautioned that LWSPs labeled PROVISIONAL have yet to be reviewed by DWR staff. Subsequent review may result in significant revision. Questions regarding the accuracy or limitations of usage of this data should be directed to the water system and/or DWR.