home > departments > utilities > backflow prevention
The Town of Wilkesboro has implemented a policy that keeps our public drinking water safe from cross connections also known as backflow prevention. A cross connection is any physical connection between a potable water source and any other substance. Wherever there is a cross connection there is the danger of a backflow of untreated water or other substances entering the water supply by backpressure or back siphonage. To ensure the quality of our water, the Town of Wilkesboro requires that any cross connection must have an approved method of backflow prevention. The following are methods of cross connection control that may be used upon approval of the Cross Connection Control Program Coordinator.
An approved reduced pressure backflow preventer
An approved double check valve assembly
An air gap whereas the physical break between the outlet end of the pipe is at least twice the diameter of the inlet pipe
Vacuum breakers and ballcocks associated with common household plumbing and irrigation systems
A qualified representative of the water purveyor shall have the right to enter any building, structure, or premise to perform an inspection of backflow prevention devices as deemed necessary for the protection of the system. The consumer shall make all records of testing, maintenance, and repairs available upon request.
The degree of the Cross Connection Hazard determines the type of Backflow Prevention Device that should be used. A severe hazard is an actual or potential threat of contamination that presents an imminent danger to the public health with the potential consequences being serious illness or death. These hazards require a Reduced Pressure Backflow Preventer or an Air Gap. A moderate hazard presents foreseeable and significant potential for pollution, nuisance, aesthetically objectionable or other undesirable alterations of the drinking water supply. These hazards require a Double Check Valve Assembly. If you have any questions concerning a Cross Connection or the type of Backflow Prevention Device that should be used, please contact the Water Treatment Plant at 336-838-4631 and ask to speak to our Cross Connection Program Coordinator, Aaron White.
Cross Connection Control /Backflow Form
home > departments > utilities > wastewater
Report Water or Sewer Problem Sewer Use Ordinance
Unsafe Sewer Items Safe Grease Disposal
The Town of Wilkesboro Waste Water Treatment Plant has been in operation since 1965. The facility’s construction was funded by a federal grant authorized by the Public Works Acceleration Act to help the Town of Wilkesboro furnish water and sewer services to its growing industries. Since then the plant has been expanded adding a certified laboratory and upgraded to the modern and efficient treatment facility it is today. The plant has a 4.9 million gallons per day capacity and utilizes an activated sludge process along with an ultraviolet disinfection system. The sludge that is produced is dewatered by a filter belt press and then disposed of in the Wilkes County Landfill. The most important objective for the Wastewater Plant’s State Certified Operators is to keep our outstanding compliance record.
We also take great pride in the park-like grounds (see photos below) where the Wastewater Treatment Plant resides. For a week during Merlefest and Carolina in the Fall music festivals, the staff at the wastewater treatment facility teams with the other town staff to host a campground. This week in April will bring 2,500 to 3,000 campers to the grounds adjacent to the Wastewater Plant. Most of the campers are return guests and have dubbed the campground “Sewerfest”. The stakes you can see in the photo to the left are a few of the RV electrical hookups and the photos below are some of the tent sites. There are two fully functional bath/shower houses with electric for use by campers along with many other amenities within the campground such as food and music.
When the campground closes, the Rolling Pines Disc Golf Course is open. This course was designed and built through the loblolly pines (hence the name) for the professional disc golfer in mind by the Wilkes County Disc Golf Club and town employees. This course is free to the public and will be open from dawn till dusk daily. Restrooms are located within the course and they will be open as weather permits.
Sewerfest/Campground Rolling Pines Disc Golf Course
home > departments > utilities > water filtration plant
The Town of Wilkesboro Water Filtration Plant utilizes a conventional type treatment process with eight dual-media gravity filters. The plant has the capacity to treat 10 million gallons per day and gets its source water from the Yadkin River. The original plant was constructed in 1964 and has been expanded and upgraded over the years and is now a modern water treatment facility including a certified laboratory. Water quality is the top priority for the town’s eight (8) state-certified water treatment specialists, who operate the plant around the clock.
The town’s water system has never been in violation of any EPA standard and has met all water quality parameters. Water from the plant serves not only Wilkesboro but also the surrounding community water systems of Broadway, Moravian Falls, and West Wilkes.
ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORTS
These reports are always for the prior calendar year.
Meter Reading is a division of the Water Filtration Plant for the Town of Wilkesboro and the meter readers strive to read every meter accurately and in a timely fashion. The meters are read on a monthly basis and we begin to read meters on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
The meter readings are for both water and sewer usage. Most of the time the water that goes through your meter goes back through the sewer system by toilet or drains; therefore, the same water usage usually is the same usage for sewer. There are times when this is not the case. Examples: filling a pool, use of garden hose, watering lawn and plants, washing cars, leak into the ground, etc. If you have a leak into the ground or fill a pool at the beginning of the season, you may request a sewer adjustment through utility billing. No adjustments are given for the water usage. These sewer adjustments are normally once per season and/or on an emergency/yearly event basis. We do not give adjustments on several occasions throughout a season for watering lawns, gardens or plants, washing cars, or leaving on a garden hose for an extended period of time.
The employees use a hand-held computer to enter meter readings, which will alert them if the reading is more than average usage. Estimated meter readings are only given when there is a problem with a meter and this estimate is an average of the past 6 months usage.
Non-payment cutoffs are done on the 4th Tuesday of each month. If anyone is disconnected for non-payment, a lock is placed on the meter. If the lock is broken, cut or tampered with, a fee will be charged to the customer.
US Environmental Protection Agency