Water

The Water Resources Department (WRD) provides drinking water to Asheville and the surrounding areas. WRD owns and operates three drinking water treatment plants, and maintains over 1700 miles of water lines in the distribution system.

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The Water Resources Department’s vision is to be an innovative leader in the water utility industry. Using the concept of continuous improvement, the department accepts the challenges of providing regional customers with water to enhance their quality of life, serving as stewards over the most vital of all natural resources, and empowering department employees to meet customer needs by providing the finest drinking water in the United States at competitive prices.

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Mission

It is the mission of the Water Resources Department to manage and protect community resources and to provide the highest quality of water service to customers. The department will do this in the following ways:

• Continuous improvement in products, systems and processes to maximize customer satisfaction;
• Continuous communication among and between staff, customers and governing board;
• Continuous involvement with the community and region;
• Valuing honesty, hard work, creativity, faith in each other, perseverance, and respect for diversity.

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General Information

The 2023 Annual Water Quality Report is available, and is also available translated into Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian.

The City of Asheville owns 22,000 acres of forested mountains surrounding our primary watershed, which makes it one of the largest municipally owned watersheds in the United States. The water department takes the responsibility of protecting the watersheds seriously, which is why most of the land is preserved in conservation easements, protected from development and pollution.
The Water Resources Department owns and operates three water treatment plants: North Fork (located in Black Mountain), William DeBruhl (located in Swannanoa), and Mills River (located near the Asheville Regional airport). The North Fork and DeBruhl watersheds are pristine. The reservoirs are fed by pure mountain streams, which are protected from industrial and agricultural contaminants. The Mills River watershed is less pristine, but also provides a valuable source, especially as population grows. The Mills River facility was built with the intent to expand with growing demand. The Mills River watershed covers 47,440 acres, 75% of which lies in the Pisgah National Forest. It includes a trout fishery, fish and wildlife habitat, and a recreational resource. The Mills River plant uses ozone in addition to chlorine for disinfection.

For more information about our treatment, distribution, and quality control, read our annual water quality report.

 

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ISO 14001 Environmental Management System

In 2004, the City of Asheville Water Resources Department became the first ISO 14001 certified water utility in North Carolina, proving that  practices and procedures were implemented to protect the environment.  The water department has maintained certification for twenty years, showing that a commitment to protect the environment continues to be a priority for the department.

The Water Resources Department is committed to managing and protecting the community’s resources and to providing the highest quality of water service to customers through:

• Continuous Improvement  in the product, systems, and processes to maximize customer satisfaction;
• Communication  among and between staff, customers, vendors, contractors, and governing board;
• Compliance with relevant federal, state, and local environmental regulations;
• Commitment to a clean, healthy environment through prevention of pollution.

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Christmas 2022 Water Outage After Action Report

Read the After Action Report here.

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Christmas 2022 Water Outage Independent Review Committee Report

Presented to Council June, 13, 2023

• Presentation
• Report
• YouTube
• Independent Review Committee Web Page

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