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Asheville water director leaving for role in South Carolina 

Asheville Water Resources Director David Melton (left) participates in emergency planning efforts with federal officials following Hurricane Helene in 2024.
City of Asheville
Asheville Water Resources Director David Melton (left) participates in emergency planning efforts with federal officials following Hurricane Helene in 2024.

Asheville’s longtime water resources director, David Melton, is leaving his post next month to take a job in South Carolina.

Melton has accepted the position of water and wastewater director for the Water Service Department in Rock Hill. His last day with the city of Asheville will be Aug. 1, according to a news release issued by the city.

“It has been my honor to serve as the director of water resources for over nine years,” Melton said in the release. “I have never been associated with a team as talented and dedicated. While I am excited to be closer to family in South Carolina, this was a difficult decision.”

Over recent years, Melton led the department through two major disruptions to Asheville’s water system.

In December 2022, a failure at the Mills River Water Treatment Plant — compounded by freezing weather and equipment breakdowns — left thousands of residents without water for more than a week. An independent review later cited communication gaps and planning issues during the outage.

In 2024, Hurricane Helene levied catastrophic damage to the city’s water infrastructure. Flooding from the storm wiped out key water lines and damaged the North Fork Reservoir, resulting in widespread outages and water quality concerns.

The city credited Melton with helping guide the recovery and rebuilding process.

“I am grateful for David’s leadership at water resources, especially in the immediate aftermath of Helene,” said City Manager Debra Campbell. “The plan David and his team put in place to make our water system as resilient as possible will benefit the city for years to come.”

According to the city, Melton also oversaw several major infrastructure projects during his tenure, including:

  • A multi-phase upgrade of the Mills River Water Treatment Plant that will eventually double its output
  • The completion of the Patton Avenue waterline extension, adding 7,000 feet of new waterline to support growing demand in western Buncombe County
  • Construction of the North Fork auxiliary spillway, which helped protect the facility during Hurricane Helene

The city of Asheville says an interim water resources director will be named soon, followed by a formal hiring process.

The Water Resources Department provides drinking water to Asheville and surrounding areas through three treatment plants: North Fork, DeBruhl and Mills River. The city also owns 22,000 acres of protected watershed land, much of it in conservation easements to safeguard drinking water quality.

Helen Chickering is a host and reporter on Blue Ridge Public Radio. She joined the station in November 2014.
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