Answer Man: East Asheville Pump Station Status & West Asheville ER Plans
Understanding the East Asheville Booster Pump Station
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
The History and Current Status of the East Asheville Booster Pump Station
The Christmas 2022 water system outage in Asheville has left many residents with lingering concerns about the city’s infrastructure. A crucial piece of water infrastructure was missing, which contributed to the problem. The Independent Review Committee found that the East Asheville Booster Pump Station played a role in the outage. This pump station was originally designed over 30 years ago to help maintain pressure in the water system when demand exceeded 24-25 million gallons per day.
In 1999, the completion of the Mills River Water Plant shifted the pump station to a backup role. However, during the 2022 outage, the Mills River plant went offline while holiday demands spiked, leading to a significant drain on reservoirs in the south and west. It remains unclear why the pump station was abandoned in 2010. Two years ago, the City Council authorized Hazen & Sawyer PA to produce a Preliminary Engineering Report to restore the pump station, at a cost of $245,000.
According to Clay Chandler, a spokesperson for the Asheville Water Resources Department, the final report from Hazen & Sawyer is expected within the next 30 to 45 days. This report will provide insights into how the East Asheville Booster Pump Station might integrate into the current system, which has undergone substantial changes since the pump station was last in service.
Ongoing Changes and Improvements
One of the major changes is the completion of the Patton Avenue water line project, which has significantly improved the ability to deliver water to the western service area. Despite these improvements, the Asheville water system, particularly the North Fork and Bee Tree reservoirs, remains vulnerable to another storm or catastrophic event. This vulnerability is due to direct filtration systems and the potential for high-turbidity water from storms, which can make filtering water for human consumption difficult or impossible.
As noted in a previous story, the city is taking multiple long-term steps to secure its water supply, which is 80% sourced from North Fork. Permanent treatment solutions for the filtration systems at North Fork and Bee Tree are a top priority. These solutions could take three to five years to implement.
The city is also looking at adding another alternate bypass out of North Fork, one that would not be in the path of the spillway where Helene’s deluge wiped out other transmission lines and bypasses. The new alternate bypass could exceed $60 million when factoring in easements, right-of-way costs, and other expenses.
Additionally, the city is expanding its Mills River water treatment plant in Northern Henderson County. This project will increase the plant’s capacity from 7.5 million gallons a day to 15 million gallons per day and push water farther into West Asheville and even downtown. The $23 million project won’t be fully operational until about 2032.
Lastly, the city is considering adding an additional water plant in the western service area, though this will also take years to complete.
Mission HCA’s Emergency Room Facility in West Asheville
The Project and Its Status
Some time ago, there were rumors that Mission HCA planned to build an emergency room facility in West Asheville near the Smokey Park Highway exit 44 off Interstate 40. However, no signs of construction have been seen yet. The question arises: is the project still moving forward?
Mission issued a news release in March confirming that the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings had affirmed the state’s approval of Mission’s Certificate of Need (CON) application for the new ER in West Asheville. This means the project can now proceed. However, as with many CON requests in Buncombe County, the application faced legal challenges from other hospital companies.
The State Health Planning Agency approved Mission’s initial application in May 2022, but AdventHealth, a Florida-based company operating a hospital in northern Henderson County, appealed the decision. The court decision in March allowed Mission to proceed with the $29 million project, but no official timeline for groundbreaking or opening has been announced yet.
Services Offered and Future Plans
The new facility will be similar to the one Mission built and operates on Hendersonville Road in Arden. Like the South Asheville ER, the West Asheville location will provide 24/7 emergency care, staffed with board-certified ER physicians and meeting the same accreditation standards as other hospital-based ERs. It will treat stroke, severe chest pain, traumatic injuries, and accept EMS patients. The facility will also offer advanced life support, complex radiology, and lab services.
Despite the approval, nothing has happened yet, and the timeline remains uncertain. As with other projects, Mission has previously contested other CON applications, such as AdventHealth’s plan to build a new hospital in Weaverville in northern Buncombe County.
Conclusion
The city has a lot going on in terms of water system improvements and emergency care facilities. The status of the East Asheville Booster Pump Station and Mission HCA’s ER facility in West Asheville are just two components of these ongoing efforts. As more information becomes available, residents will be kept informed. Stay tuned for updates.
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