The Town of Tryon, which has encountered many obstacles in completing its water plant rehab, now must wait for heavy rains.
The Army Corps of Engineers approved the permit allowing the town to complete work on intakes on the town’s mountain water source, and although the work will only take a couple of days, the area needs to get a heavy rain first.
Tryon Town Manager Justin Hembree announced during the town’s June 21 meeting that the Army Corps of Engineers approved the town’s permit to complete the intakes.
The town had been waiting for the permit to be approved since January, after a stop work order was issued last December.
The town’s intakes are located on town property, but access to the property is through an easement from the Tryon Garden Club, which owns the surrounding property. Tryon Garden Club officials expressed concern over the work because of silt. They said earlier this year they just want to ensure the work is done properly.
The rehabilitation of the intakes for the mountain water source is the only task remaining to complete the town’s water plant rehab. After that work is complete, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) must take samples to ensure the treatment center is working properly. The corps of engineers and DENR prefer the work on the intakes be done during a major rain event, according to Hembree, so the silt will be diluted with the water.
Tryon began its water plant rehab in 2009. Original estimates were for the work to take one year. The town financed approximately $3 million for the project.
Part of the rehab is to bring the town’s former mountain water source back online to use in addition to its Lake Lanier water source.
Town officials have expressed concern over the delays, because of the costs of continuing to pump water out of the lake when the town could be using its mountain water, which is gravity fed. The town spent $26,000 in fiscal year 2009-2010 pumping water out of Lake Lanier. Once the mountain water is usable again, town officials said they think savings are possible from less pumping.
The town’s water plant, located off Carolina Drive, first went online in 1988. The rehabilitation project was required for the plant to meet current state guidelines.
Prior to 1988, mountain water was Tryon’s only water source, but the town abandoned the mountain water when it constructed the water plant and began using water from Lake Lanier. The town owns the bed of Lake Lanier and has jurisdiction over the water.
Following a drought in 2003, when the town had to impose mandatory water restrictions, officials decided while the town was upgrading the water plant, it should also make changes that would allow mountain water to again be available as a water source.
The turbidity of Lake Lanier and the mountain water is different, so different processing has to be done to combine the two sources. Two intakes, one on Fork Creek and another on Colt Creek, are the last of the upgrades needed in order to use both water sources.
Upgrades already completed at the water plant include renovating the old water plant building into offices, with the downstairs of the old building converted into the chemical plant. A new outdoor facility was also constructed, which gives the town more retention time. The upgrades have also included replacing eight chemical feed pumps and fixing the old water plant roof, among other work.