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Resident raises water‑pressure, testing and DEQ concerns at Black Mountain council meeting
Summary
A longtime water professional in the public comment period told the council the town has failed to complete its local water supply plan and reported low system pressure and testing irregularities; town staff responded and said the system is in compliance and will invite DEQ to present to the council.
A resident with long experience in water operations used the council’s public comment period to tell the Town of Black Mountain that the town’s water system is short on regulatory compliance points and that customers at the end of the distribution system have experienced low pressure since a storm damaged a booster pump.
The commenter said the town has not completed a local water supply plan for three consecutive years, which reduced the town’s eligibility scoring for state grants administered by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). He said a booster pump outage at the town’s tank after a storm left many customers with 25 to 30 PSI on average and some homes at the end of lines with as little as 5 to 10 PSI. The commenter cited state minimums of 30 PSI at the tap and 20 PSI during fire flow.
He also questioned how certain water and bacteriological samples were classified and said required distribution‑system samples were not always taken in the distribution system. Town staff responded during the meeting, saying the town is in compliance and that staff have contacted DEQ. Council and staff said they will arrange for DEQ to brief the council directly.
Why it matters: the points raised touch on state grant eligibility, resident water service reliability, and regulatory sampling procedures. Town staff said it would double‑check records and invite DEQ to present to the council.
No formal action or vote followed the comment period; the town indicated it would follow up with DEQ and review the booster pump repair schedule.
