Asheville City Council briefing highlights service-line inventory contract for Shiloh; work to run through 2027

Assistant City Manager Jade Dundas told the Asheville City Council that consent item B is a contract with JR Merriman and Company to perform a service-line inventory in the Shiloh community for the city’s Water Resources Department.

Interim Water Resource Director Bill Hart said the work is intended to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality requirements and is meant to be a starting point for broader replacement planning. "We will be conducting an inventory between now and 2027," Hart said, describing the effort as a "find and replace" approach focused where older lines make the area a good place to begin.

Council member Tim asked whether the contract is part of the city's broader lead-pipe and service-line inventory and raised concerns about timing tied to funding deadlines. Hart said staff are building a probability model to anticipate findings, are talking with other North Carolina municipalities about their approaches, and are looking for additional funding sources that could support future replacements.

Dundas and staff characterized this contract as the beginning of a multi-year effort rather than a final replacement program. The item was presented as a consent agenda entry; no formal vote or amendment was recorded in the briefing.

The council did not take public comment in this briefing; staff offered to provide follow-up details on funding sources and next steps at a future meeting.