Bryson City town board members Tuesday night, Jan. 21 focused exclusively on hammering out an ordinance that will require an estimated 100 city business owners to install costly equipment to prevent contaminated backflow from entering the water system.
Starting this year, the state is requiring Reduced Pressure Zones or RPZ valves to be installed in businesses linked to public water systems across North Carolina.
The town’s ordinance will initially hit businesses deemed “high hazards” and will require owners to install the equipment at a cost ranging from $250 to $10,000. The cost does not include labor.
“High hazard” businesses include a broad range of businesses in town from the hospital, medical and dental offices, schools to the jail to restaurants, automotive centers, breweries and nail salons.
Alderman Ben King said a preliminary count shows about 100 Bryson City businesses will be affected this year. Board members do not anticipate the tougher requirements to hit homeowners in the immediate future.
The board agreed Tuesday to let town attorney Fred Moody review the proposed ordinance and if he gives the measure a go-ahead at the regular Feb. 3 meeting, then the board will set a public hearing to get input later in February.
The board is already getting feedback about the proposal, which is expected to draw a big crowd at the hearing. The board plans to use the county’s meeting room in the old Federal Building for the hearing.
“It will be an awful process,” Mayor Tom Sutton said. “We will have a lot of explaining to do.”
Bryson City is not alone in struggling over the new state requirements.
Town Manager Regina Mathis said numerous communities in the area are “in the same boat” as Bryson City.
A few of the types of businesses included in “high hazards” rank include: jails, prisons; restaurants, bakeries, commercial kitchens, convenience stores with food services, any of which have water-supplied fire suppression systems, or soda-fountain machines; hospitals, clinics and medical facilities; mortuaries and funeral homes with embalming facilities; nursing homes; day care; automotive plants and service bays; commercial laundries and dry cleaning; dentist offices; breweries; campgrounds and RV parks; commercial car washes; dairies; dye works; lawn care companies; multi-tenant strip malls and shopping centers; hotels, apartments or any public or private buildings or structures 50 feet in height or more; churches containing baptismal or operating a multi-purpose function; (smaller churches with limited kitchen facilities are not included in category); recreational parks and facilities; and waterfront facilities and industries.
Also, veterinary offices and facilities; pest control facilities; photo labs; schools and colleges; and swimming pools and spas with fixed water lines; tattoo parlors, nail salons; grocery stores (chiller units, etc.);all fire sprinkler systems with 4 inch or greater piping or standpipe system with chemical or non-chemical additives; and any private water system that has been or is recirculated.
Single-family homes are not included. Apartments or duplexes that are single metered at each unit are not included. Apartments will one master meter are included.
Fines for violations can be as high as $1,000 a day. Failure to maintain backflow assemblies can be $100 a day.
The board wrestled over the amount of notice to give business owners affected by the change. Mathis suggested a three-tiered system, where the high hazard facilities such as the hospital would be first and subsequent tiers could use as much as 60 or 90 days to prepare for the next tiers.
The next board meeting will be Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. in town hall.