County chooses to rebuild Etowah wastewater plant at existing site; directs design agreement

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners selected Option 2 — a full replacement and expansion of the Etowah wastewater treatment plant at the existing site — and authorized staff to negotiate a design and engineering agreement with WithersRavenel. The decision followed a detailed briefing on six alternatives, cost estimates, operating cost comparisons, and letters from the City of Hendersonville describing a potential regional hookup limited to 125,000 gallons per day and an allocation (capacity) cost. Chairman William Lapsley emphasized property acquisition and flood‑plain design considerations and asked staff to pursue negotiations for design, permitting and funding during an estimated 12‑month design window.

Engineering materials presented to the Board estimated Option 2's revised capital cost at about $20.5 million after removing a temporary treatment plant line item and adding a recommended property acquisition allowance; available grant funding was cited at approximately $12.7 million, leaving an estimated financing gap. The City of Hendersonville's wholesale treatment charge was shown in the packet as $13.37 per 1,000 gallons; the county briefing noted that connecting to the city's system for Etowah flows would add roughly $623,376 per year in treatment charges at a 125,000 gpd allocation. The Board voted to proceed with Option 2 and instructed staff to negotiate agreements and continue pursuing remaining funding.