Debt Financing

Capital Improvement Program (continued)

Background (continued)

Wastewater System Master Planning (continued)  Comprehensive Master Plan (continued)— The report contained recommendations for improvements to the collection system as well as the treatment plant. A CIP was developed which included specific projects and their associated costs.

Reduction of Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO’s) was, and remains, a key objective of this plan. Over the past twelve years, this has been accomplished using a “three-prong” approach, which combines: An effective Management, Operations and Maintenance (MOM) program to reduce line blockages and optimize response time when blockages do occur; An ongoing rehabilitation program to improve the structural condition of the system; and Providing capacity to handle flows during wet-weather and future projected dry-weather flows.

This plan helped to establish the basis for the District’s on going, aggressive Preventative Maintenance and Capital Improvement Programs. These two programs have resulted in substantially reducing SSO’s over the past twenty one years, in addition to greatly improved system integrity.

 Facilities Plan—

The District completed an update to this Facilities Plan in 2015. This significant, comprehensive study examined the various unit processes within the plant, with a focus on headworks, biological treatment alternatives, and the future regulatory requirement. After extensive research of various options, the Plan recommends Plant Headworks Improvements adding new grit removal, a fine screening system, storage for peak flows (using existing decommissioned digesters), and chemically enhanced primary clarification.

Completion of the High-Rate Primary Treatment project is expected in Spring 2022. The Plant Headworks (completed in early 2019) and High-Rate Primary projects are the short and mid-term recommendations of the Plant Facility Plan. These two projects total approximately $27.8 million, will significantly improve the plant’s treatment process.

Capital Improvement Program (continued)

Background (continued)

Wastewater System Master Planning (continued)  Facilities Plan (continued)— The final recommendation of the Facility Plan, and the most significant, is the replacement of the plant’s biological treatment process - the Rotating Biological Contactors (RBCs). These were installed in the 1980s and have functioned well over the years. They are approaching the end of their functional lifespan and are limited in the kind of treatment that they can provide. Replacement of the RBCs will be a major project and is currently projected at over $69 million. It is important to note that this project is fully incorporated into the District’s ten-year planning window.

 Collection System Master Plan—In 2008, McGill Associates completed a Collection System Master

Plan (the “2008 Collection System Plan”). The 2008 Collection System Plan focuses on the District’s comprehensive growth issues by incorporating all of the recent planning and zoning changes from the District’s member agencies. This Plan also describes where and how areas will be served and provides for orderly growth of the sewer system to meet the needs of the region as a whole for the future. This plan was updated in 2021 to include the Cane Creek Water and Sewer District.

The District’s Collection System Master Plan (Master Plan) addresses the orderly extension of the District’s collection system into future service areas. The Master Plan has been prepared in close cooperation with the District’s member agencies and regional stakeholders. The land use policies and zoning regulations of each agency were used for land usage, growth projections/densities, and line locations. For areas outside of corporate or jurisdictional limits, Buncombe County’s Zoning Ordinance has played an integral role in defining future service areas.

Types of Projects

The projects in the CIP are classified into several types, based on the objective of the project. The projects are determined and scheduled based on the Master Plan, the pipe-rating score, and other factors impacting the overall well-being of the District.