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North East approves 21,500 gpd water allocation for 86‑home Bedrock subdivision as plant staff report PAC issues
Summary
The Town of North East unanimously approved a 21,500 gallons‑per‑day allocation for Bedrock Subdivision Phase 4 (86 single‑family equivalents) and heard that the town’s powdered activated carbon treatment system is underperforming; staff scheduled vendor inspections and outside lab retesting and plan to notify customers.
The Town of North East on Oct. 22 unanimously approved a water allocation of 21,500 gallons per day for First Landing Holding I LLC’s Bedrock Subdivision Phase 4, a developer request to serve 86 single‑family equivalent homes.
The decision, made by motion of Commissioner Hilary Crothers‑Moore and seconded by Vice‑Mayor Kimberly Davis, came as Water Superintendent Ron Carter told the board the plant’s powdered activated carbon (PAC) system is not performing as expected. "The Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) is not completely on line, its not producing the right amount of carbon. The amount should be around 10 lbs. of usage but it's only using 1.67 pounds, which is maxed out," Carter said.
Assistant Town Administrator Grant Handley said the shortfall appears related to the PAC feeder: "This is a feeder issue; Eagle Equipment will be visiting to determine what the problem is," he said. Hach is scheduled to install a total organic carbon (TOC) online analyzer at the plant on Nov. 11 or 12 to improve monitoring, and staff said they will send a notice to water customers and send samples to an outside lab to reconfirm the yearly averages.
Why it matters: The allocation permits new residential development and represents a measurable increase in permitted daily demand for the town’s water system at a time when plant operators are troubleshooting treatment equipment. The vendor inspection and outside lab retesting are steps to ensure regulatory compliance and customer safety.
The allocation motion passed unanimously; those voting were Mayor Kelly Benson, Vice‑Mayor Kimberly Davis and Commissioner Hilary Crothers‑Moore. The board did not specify additional conditions on the allocation in the record.
Next steps: Eagle Equipment will inspect the PAC feeder, Hach will install the TOC analyzer Nov. 11–12, and the town will notify customers in writing and perform confirmatory testing at an independent lab. Staff also reported ongoing coordination with Artesian Water on an interconnection agreement rate, with further multi‑party discussions planned.
