Complete

Hydrants are routinely flushed in isolated and dead-end areas at weekly to quarterly intervals depending on location. The County also initiates hydrant flushing in response to customer complaints about taste/odor, water line and valve repairs, when hydrant inspections from the fire department indicate a need, and any other time the water in the system is suspected to have been contaminated. Additionally, flushing takes place during yearly system disinfectant conversion for the entire system.

Only priority (critical) valves are exercised annually. All other valves are exercised every three years.

On August 1, 2022 (Effective Sept 1, 2022), UC Water's Cross Connection Control Program was adopted, allowing UC Water to require testing and inspect backflow prevention devices, implement an enforcement response plan, and issue penalties for violations.

The County is finishing up AMI deployment. All meters are being replaced or retrofitted depending on their age and condition to conform with the new standards.

Most residences in the County were built post-1980; this fact fulfills the general intent of a plumbing retrofit program.

Since adopting a Water Use Ordinance in 2015 (described under Water Conservation), the County has routinely communicated with customers through bill inserts, social media and email to ensure awareness of restricted water uses and noncompliance penalties. Tips for water conservation are also sent to customers frequently and made available online (www.unionconserves.com). We also conduct conservation outreach at community events and conduct water quality demonstrations at schools and plan to continue expanding such outreach efforts as opportunities become available and staffing allows.

The leak detection program has been suspended since only two leaks have been found in the entire county using acoustic leak detection. It isn’t feasible to continue the program at this time due to the cost and time we put into the program, yielding so few leaks.

The County began using an increasing block rate structure in 2001, and the structure changed to be highly punitive at usage >10,000 gal/month in 2008 in response to high usage during the drought of 2007-2009. The high charges above 10,000 gal/month has reduced usage at these tiers significantly since implementation.

On May 4, 2015, the Union County Board of Commissioners adopted a new Water Use Ordinance that limits spray irrigation to a maximum of 3 days per week, year round. The Ordinance also allows for additional water restrictions during times of water shortage including drought and system capacity limitations. The County educates customers about this Ordinance through bill inserts, social media, and participation in local events.

The County has implemented a new program to connect residents with professional irrigation contractors for residential irrigation efficiency evaluations. The program was launched in April 2023.

Many of the upcoming and proposed changes to Union County's programs are driven by our Yadkin River to Rocky River Interbasin Transfer Certificate. Specifically, revisions to our hydrant use and meter replacement programs as well as the new residential irrigation program address aspects of the conservation and drought management plans approved as part of the certificate.

Year-round population is calculated as the number of non-zero residential accounts x 2.95 (Union County persons per household, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/unioncountynorthcarolina,US/PST045219)

Union County meters all connections to the system, including temporary connections such as permitted hydrant use.

The County is in the process of revising its bulk water permit and temporary hydrant meter rental programs. The changes will improve cross connection control for authorized hydrant users and are expected to reduce apparent water losses by improving water use accounting for the permit program and reducing theft from hydrants.

Wingate's contract provides for all water required by the Town, with no maximum amount listed. Wingate is a co-applicant on Union County's IBT granting transfer from the Yadkin River Basin to the Rocky River Basin.

Union County shares ownership of the Catawba River Water Supply Project with Lancaster County Water and Sewer District in South Carolina. In 2021, each owner received 20 MGD of the plant's 40 MGD rated capacity. In 2012, Union County leased an additional 3 MGD from Lancaster County Water and Sewer District in an agreement that has been amended to expire June 30, 2025. Union County only considers this leased capacity used when the County's own 20 MGD capacity is exceeded. Since the Yadkin River Water Treatment Plant came online in February 2024 and the delay in the project was the purpose of the latest amendment with LCWSD, it is not anticipated that we will be using the leased capacity before its expiration and it will not be renewed after expiration.

The County has received an IBT Certificate for a new water supply from Lake Tillery on the Yadkin River in May 2017. The new water treatment plant came online in February 2024.

The capacity at the Catawba River Water Treatment Plant was successfully expanded from 36mgd to 40mgd in 2021. The County and its Joint Venture partner LCWSD intend to expand the facility again in 2030.

The County also has a Water Use Ordinance that can be implemented during capacity constraints if needed.

Construction on the Grassy Branch WRF commenced in September 2024 and is scheduled to be complete in May 2026. Capacity for Grassy Branch WRF will increase from 0.05 MGD to 0.12 MGD per the negotiated Special Order of Consent. Construction on the 12 Mile Creek WRF commenced in January 2025 and is scheduled to be complete in September 2027. Capacity for 12 Mile Creek WRF will increase from 7.5MGD to 9.0 MGD.

Construction commenced January 2025 for the expansion of Twelve Mile Creek WRF to 9MGD capacity. Scheduled to be completed September 2027.

Union County worked with the state on design and constraints for Special Orders by Consent (SOC) related to ongoing inflow and infiltration issues leading to exceeded capacity on permit NC0085812 (Grassy Branch WRF). The SOC was approved by Union County Board of County Commissioners on April 4th, 2022. Construction began September 2024 to expand Grassy Branch WRF capacity from 0.05 MGD to 0.12 MGD. Scheduled to be completed May 2026.

Union County also has a land application system at the Olde Sycamore WRF, permit number WQ0011928. The permitted capacity of the facility is 0.150MGD, with the AADD measuring 0.039MGD and the MDD measuring 0.092MGD for 2025.

On April 12, 1996, Union County and the City of Charlotte entered into an agreement for Charlotte to provide up to 3 million gallons of allocated wastewater capacity to the County from the McAlpine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. This contract is perpetual in duration.

The population projections were originally developed in the Comprehensive Water & Wastewater Master Plan (CWWMP), December 2011. These projections were updated during the Yadkin River Water Supply Project Inter-Basin Transfer permitting process in 2013 for the certificate granted in May 2017 and to differentiate between customers in each river basin. Union County's 2024 CWWMP is complete and the numbers have been included.

For the Catawba River Basin customers, the following population and water use annual growth rates were used: 2021-2070 (2.0%)
For the Yadkin River Basin customers, the following population and water use annual growth rates were used: 2013-2030 (3.7%); 2031-2040 (3.4%); 2041-2070 (2.8%)