The water and sewer district is mostly concentrated along Sherrills Ford Road and N.C. 150, according to a proposed map shared during a Catawba County Board of Commissioners subcommittee meeting on Monday. There are several properties already approved for development within the boundaries, and the Marshall Steam Station is included in the proposed district.

The reason to create a specific water and sewer district in the area is to avoid the cost of relocating water and sewer lines along N.C. 150 when the road is expanded, County Manager Mick Berry said.

“The number one thing that got us in this conversation was the moving of the lines along Highway 150,” Berry said. "That was the number one driver."

If the lines along the road are not a part of a designated district, the cost of relocation would fall on the county, Catawba County Utilities and Engineering Director Peter Shonka said during the subcommittee meeting. With a district in place, the state would pay for relocation when the road is expanded, Shonka said. The road is expected to be expanded to four lanes.

Creating a district was recommended in the county’s South Eastern Catawba County Water and Wastewater Master Plan that was finished in 2020.

The district would allow for the county to be able to apply and qualify for grants specifically for that district, some of which would be unattainable without a defined district, Deputy County Manager Mary Furtado said.