Special to Iredell Free News

During the last two months, Iredell Water Corporation undertook a seamless transition from retiring General Manager Keith Snoddy – who served the utility for nearly four decades – to Danny Sloan, who became general manager on December 5.

During the transition process, Sloan and the Iredell Water Board discussed the challenges facing the utility in the coming months and years. Many of the issues are ones utilities nationwide are dealing with, including managing increased growth, meeting changing water quality regulations, and upgrading aging infrastructure.

“My goal is to ensure we continue to provide our customers with a safe and plentiful supply of drinking water, and that will require taking several steps to properly fold our region’s growth into our system while meeting shifting water quality regulations,” said Sloan. “We also want to supply portions of our community that are still without a public water provider. The Board and I will continue to work closely to deliver on these goals.”

Sloan is a lifelong resident of Iredell County, having grown up on a dairy and grain farm. A graduate of North Iredell High School, Sloan started his Iredell Water career more than 25 years ago. He became the assistant manager of the utility in 2009 before being named general manager and CEO in December.

Sloan’s influence in the water industry has reached beyond Iredell Water’s walls, especially in North Carolina. In 2016, Sloan was elected to the Board of Directors of the N.C. Rural Water Association and elected vice president in 2021. He was also appointed by the American Water Works Association Board of Directors to serve on its N.C. Board of Education and Examiners.

In 2010, Sloan was appointed by Gov. Bev Perdue to serve a three-year term on the N.C. Water Treatment Facility Operators Certification Board. He was reappointed in 2013 and served the last year-plus of his term as the Board’s chair. In 2014, Sloan was appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory to serve a four-year term as vice chair on the first N.C. Underground Damage Prevention Board.

“We were lucky to be able to transition from a dedicated public servant like Keith to a man of Danny’s caliber,” said Ed Bissell, Iredell Water’s Board chairman. “He is both a trusted water leader across the state and a caring member of the community he grew up in. The future of water is filled with challenges and the Board and I look forward to working with Danny to successfully meet them.”