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AQUA presents options for county water service; board to consider contract in closed session
Summary
AQUA representatives briefed commissioners on potential utility service options, including reverse‑osmosis treatment for Castle Haynes aquifer water, and outlined a process that would include at least two public hearings and about a year for regulatory approvals; the board reserved discussion of contractual procedures for Closed Session.
Representatives from AQUA — President Shannon Becker and Director Ruffin Poole — presented to the Washington County Board of Commissioners on April 5, describing how a utility arrangement might operate and answering commissioners’ questions about rates, treatment and governance.
Becker said AQUA bases proposed rates on actual costs and that combining town participation could lower customer rates through scale. Poole said AQUA’s reverse‑osmosis systems would remove salt from Castle Haynes aquifer water and that AQUA would evaluate zoning and service logistics before committing. Commissioners asked about how AQUA would work with the county’s five fire districts, service to scattered households, and the number of required public hearings; Poole said the process would require at least two public hearings and could take roughly a year including Utilities Commission actions.
Chair Bill Sexton said the board would discuss contractual procedures in Closed Session; no contract was approved at the April 5 meeting. The transcript records informational presentation and procedural questions but no final decision.
