BY DEBBIE PAGE

During this week’s annual budget retreat, Town Manager Ron Wyatt told Troutman Town Council members that residential growth is outpacing the town’s wastewater treatment capacity, necessitating the need for the council to consider a moratorium on residential development.

The City of Statesville is to blame, according to Wyatt.

Wyatt told the council that Statesville officials had reneged on a sewer treatment promise after an annexation boundary agreement was signed, limiting Troutman’s ability to treat wastewater generated by its customers. The 8-inch lines to the Mooresville sewer treatment facility are not adequate to handle additional flow, and the Mooresville water treatment plant cannot currently handle more capacity. Mooresville officials will not sign additional sewer agreements with Troutman, Wyatt added.

As a result, the Town of Troutman can no longer guarantee that it can provide sewer treatment to new residential developments.

Mooresville’s projected timeline for plant capacity upgrades is one to two years away. In addition, about $32 million in infrastructure will need to be built between Troutman and Mooresville, the majority at Troutman’s expense, to increase the line capacity. That’s another one to two year project.

Because of these sewer capacity issues, Wyatt asked the council for guidance on proceeding with drafting a moratorium on residential development until these capacity issues are resolved.

“I do think we are there. There is no capacity now to sign for new residential development,” he said.

Wyatt said he is concerned that a residential moratorium may affect businesses from locating in Troutman, but staff believes the town can provide sewer capacity to business development because of its lower demands.

The council gave Wyatt, Planner Director Andrew Ventresca, and the town attorney the nod to begin drafting the residential development moratorium to be tentatively presented during the May council meeting.

Wyatt said the Wakefield developer, along with a private investor, are looking at options to put in a 25-year “package plant” to treat sewage that the town would operate and collect sewer fees from so the project can proceed.

“This is not a failure on the part of town staff, the planning department, or elected officials. This is a failure of a municipality holding to their word. Instead, they chose to lie,” reiterated Wyatt. “That’s why it’s going to cost us money.”

Wyatt said the staff are actively seeking state and federal funding to help pay for installation of new water and sewer lines to Mooresville, as well as the possibility of the town building its own treatment plant to avoid this issue in the future.

Wyatt said the town has a contract with Kimley-Horn to create a utility master plan to help determine its current and future water and sewer needs and develop short- and long-term utility goals. This plan will increase the town’s opportunities to qualify for grants and low-interest loans for infrastructure growth and improvements.

Without the $20 million in state funds the town received for past water and sewer upgrades, the town would have been in even worse shape, Wyatt said.