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Consultant recommends buying wholesale capacity from Raleigh to delay $700M water program and ease rate pressure
Summary
A consultant hired to review the county’s long‑term water plan recommended acquiring up to 6 million gallons per day (MGD) of wholesale capacity from the City of Raleigh as a near‑term measure, delaying major capital expenditures to 2033–35 and reducing near‑term rate increases for customers.
JD Solomon, the county’s water‑supply consultant, presented findings and a recommendation on June 16 aimed at making Johnston County’s long‑term water program more affordable.
Solomon summarized the county’s existing plan — which engineers estimated at roughly $700 million in capital costs for a new intake, transmission and a 12 MGD plant near the quarry north of Princeton — and said his review focused on short‑ to intermediate‑term affordability and options. He recommended the county pursue acquisition of up to 6 MGD of wholesale capacity from the City of Raleigh to provide near‑term capacity and thereby defer portions of the large program to about 2033–35.
Solomon told commissioners that the original schedule (a 2030 in‑service target for the county’s full program) would likely create sharp rate increases for towns and customers; he cited a Clayton example in which completing the original 2030 plan would have raised combined water and sewer bills materially (the presentation used a hypothetical figure of $290/month under the 2030 program for an average Clayton connection, versus a much lower outcome if the program’s timeline is extended). Solomon said delaying main program expenditures to the 2033–35 window and acquiring interim wholesale capacity could reduce short‑term rate pressure while leaving the county positioned to build later as demand and financing conditions improve.
Solomon reviewed technical points: the long plan’s intake site at Richardson Bridge Road, a major raw‑water transmission line to the quarry/plant site north of Princeton, and the transmission and treatment components that would move treated water to western portions of the county. He said wholesale purchases would require capital and capacity charges (Clayton and Raleigh numbers were still being refined and would require further negotiation), but could buy several years of planning/delivery time and reduce project delivery and approval risk. He also noted regulatory and Local Government Commission (LGC) approvals would add months to any large financing package, increasing schedule risk if the program were rushed.
County staff and commissioners asked about next steps; Solomon and staff said they would continue detailed financial modeling with Clayton and begin discussions with Raleigh and neighboring jurisdictions to test wholesale‑capacity options and pricing. Staff said a final rate study and more detailed cost estimates would be presented in July.
