Waterline Interconnections Benefit Rural Communities
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, almost everyone was surprised. Asheville and most of the surrounding rural communities temporarily lost access to critical infrastructure like water and power. In the days that followed the storm, no one knew how long it would actually take for the water service to be restored. Thanks to an interconnection that McGill designed in 2011, the Towns of Mars Hill and Weaverville were able to help each other.
The interconnection plan started after a drought impacted the water supply in Mars Hill. When fear of insufficient water supply arose in the Town, the leadership determined the need for a backup source to keep water flowing to residents, so we designed an interconnection between the water systems in Mars Hill and Weaverville.
The interconnection works both ways, which allows each community to help the other in a situation of need. McGill provided design and construction administration services for the system improvements, which included more than 21,000 LF of 8-inch and 12-inch waterline, a dual master meter pit, and a duplex booster pump station. The project was funded by USDA-Rural Development (RD), Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center (NCREDC), and the Town of Mars Hill.
Benefits of Waterline Interconnections
A waterline interconnection is a way to connect nearby water systems to each other so that in the case of an emergency, like Hurricane Helene, or, most often, in cases of drought, communities can help each other keep water flowing. Helene flooded the Town of Weaverville’s water treatment plant with eight feet of water; with the interconnection, the Town of Mars Hill was able to provide water to the 200+ households who were, at the time, unable to get water from the Weaverville plant.
One of the coolest things about waterline interconnections is that they go both ways—so in this instance, Weaverville could have provided the same support to Mars Hill if the roles had been reversed. In addition to using interconnections to help during emergency situations, interconnections can also help rural communities keep up with population growth. An interconnection will allow municipalities to buy water from each other, pass it through the waterline, and provide water to those who need it.
Funding Water Interconnections
The Mars Hill / Weaverville interconnection was funded in 2008 with the intention of Weaverville providing water to Mars Hill. To our surprise, it was used to help Weaverville in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024. This shows the importance of being proactive when considering the redundancy and resiliency of your water system. Rural communities should look into installing a waterline interconnection before the need for one arises. Interconnections are costly projects. For most communities, the planning process will require applying for funding. Installing a waterline interconnection ahead of needing one will benefit rural communities throughout the Southeast, especially as environmental disasters become more frequent.
When it comes to funding, relationships are key. Karen Kiehna, a Funding Specialist at McGill, says this about funding waterline interconnections: “You have to really know what the Town needs and have a clear understanding of how the project will benefit the community for years to come. With the Mars Hill / Weaverville interconnection, there was data to prove the project would significantly benefit the community, which made it a worthwhile investment.”
Taking the Next Steps
Out water engineering team and financial planning consultants can help you identify opportunities to improve the resiliency of your water system. We can help with intermunicipal agreements, mergers and regionalization studies, and interconnection feasibility studies. When you are ready to complete a waterline interconnections project, we can help with the funding, design, bidding, and construction phases.
Learn more about our team here, and reach out to Mike Dowd, PE, to start a conversation about how an interconnection project could take shape in, and benefit, your community.
