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Monroe Council hears water-supply update as city nears 180-day shortage threshold
Summary
City staff told the Monroe City Council that local drought conditions have worsened, leaving the city at about 190 days of supply and recommending Stage 1 conservation; council authorized a procedural motion to let the city manager declare a water shortage at 180 days and directed staff to pursue short- and long-term options including temporary piping from a city-owned quarry.
Rob Miller, Monroe City’s general manager of energy and water, told the City Council on Jan. 13 that ‘‘the City of Monroe is currently in a severe drought,’’ and that Union County and the city are well below typical precipitation for the year.
City water managers outlined how Monroe’s system operates — Lake Monroe and Lake Lee can be piped to Lake Twitty, home of the John Glenn Water Treatment Plant — and noted constraints on externally sourced water. Jay Boyce, deputy general manager of energy and water, said the city can take up to 1,990,000 gallons per day from a contract with Union County without triggering an interbasin transfer (IBT) certificate requirement, and explained that moving beyond that limit would require a multi-year state approval process.
Why it matters: staff said the city’s lakes and groundwater have declined enough that short-term and long-term actions are needed. Boyce reported the city was ‘‘approximately at 190 days’’ of supply and recommended entering Stage 1 of the city’s water-shortage response (voluntary conservation) at 180 days. He outlined staged conservation measures, rate-tiering incentives and a suite of operational responses.
Short-term measures described by staff include rerouting treated discharge back into Lake Twitty, revalving the system to maximize the 1.99 MGD take from Union County, installing flashboards on Lake Lee to reduce spillover and preparing temporary piping from a city-owned rock quarry. Boyce presented high-level cost estimates for temporary piping from the rock quarry to Lake Lee: $320,000 for an initial month (including a one-time $230,000 setup/takedown charge) and $90,000 month-over-month rental thereafter.
Longer-term work: council was told staff has advertised an RFQ for a source-water supply plan to evaluate capacity, dredging options, the feasibility of permanent piping from the quarry, potential co-application on Union County’s IBT certificate for Yadkin River supply, and other alternatives. Boyce said the study is expected to take about 10 months with completion around January 2027.
Council action: a council member moved to authorize the city manager to declare a water shortage if the city reaches 180 days of supply; the motion was seconded and put to a voice/hand vote. The council also asked staff to return routine reports on days of supply and to proceed with the short-term planning steps.
What’s next: staff will continue reporting supply-day estimates to council, pursue the advertised RFQ for the long-term water-supply study, and prepare implementation details and permitting assessments for emergency and permanent options.
