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Welcome

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Welcome to the Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project Team!

Communication Resources for Field Personnel

Hello, and welcome to the team!

While you are working in the field, property owners, members of the public, or reporters might wave you down to ask questions or voice concerns. They will view you as an ambassador for the Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project and a representative of Union County or the Town of Norwood, North Carolina.

This website will take fewer than 10 minutes to review. Its goal is to make your job easier by providing:

  • Guidelines for your interactions with property owners, the public and members of the media.
  • Answers to common questions that you can provide.
  • Contact information and resources for you to use or share with the public.

Good communication with the public builds trust, which we strive to be worthy of every day. We appreciate your help!

Project Overview

What is the Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project?

The Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project will expand access to water from Lake Tillery to three different areas:

Union County gets a long-term supply of drinking water to satisfy demand in the western part of the county.

The Town of Norwood gets a new water intake and pump station to replace its World War II era infrastructure and expand access to drinking water from Lake Tillery.

Stanly County gets the ability to tap into the project to access some of the drinking water.


The project has four components:

Property Owners

Who might want to speak with you on a work site?

The project’s water pipelines will cross more than 300 private properties. The easements for the pipelines were acquired by the project team, so these property owners and residents are already aware of the project.


Property owners will expect:

  • Most of the construction work to take place on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
  • To be told when their driveway will be closed before it happens.
  • To be told where their mailbox will be moved to before it happens.
  • No interruption in utilities like water, cable, electrical, gas, sewer, or fiber during construction.
  • For the project team to take full responsibility for having utility services restored if something unexpected happens.
  • Construction to take place within the boundaries of the easements they granted – no supplies, equipment, or excavated material is allowed to spill over into the rest of their yards.

Your role:

  • No surprises here – just be courteous while you’re working on private property.
  • Is a resident coming too close to construction equipment, open trenches, or other obstacles in your work area? Did they forget to put on a mask or maintain social distance? If someone is not behaving safely, please let them know – courteously but firmly – what you need from them.
  • If you’re asked a question and you’re comfortable answering it, go ahead! Please stick to the information on the Resource page of this website to make sure everyone gets the same answers.
  • If you need backup, give the property owner a project information card. Your supervisor or site lead should provide these to you.

Click zoom.

  • The project website, www.yadkinwater.com, has a lot of information for property owners, including a page specifically about construction.
  • If a property owner calls the information hotline, they can leave a message and a member of the project team will call them back, typically within a business day or two.

Members of the Public

Who might want to speak with you on a work site?

Members of the public who are passing by might be curious about what you’re doing.

Your role:

  • Be friendly… but don’t feel like you have to have a long conversation with anyone.
  • Has someone stopped in the road and blocked it to try to see what’s going on? Did they forget to put on a mask or maintain social distance? Make sure that curious people are being safe, and let them know what you need if they are not.
  • If you’re asked a question and you’re comfortable answering it, go ahead! Please stick to the information on the Resource page of this website to make sure everyone gets the same answers.
  • Encourage members of the public to visit the project website, www.yadkinwater.com, for more information.
    • In general, please save the project information cards for property owners and members of the media. The hotline number is not intended for general public use.

The Media

Who might want to speak with you on a work site?

A reporter for a newspaper or TV station might be interested in construction and stop to ask questions. We want to make sure reporters have access to the people who can give them the most accurate, up-to-date information available.

Your role:

  • Please do not give an interview or answer questions.
  • Has someone stopped in the road and blocked it to try to see what’s going on? Make sure that curious people are being safe, and let them know what you need if they are not.
  • Instead, give reporters a project information card and encourage them to contact the project team by…
  • Remember, there’s no such thing as “off the record.” If you provide information to the media, they can use it in a story.

Common Construction Questions

Use the information below to answer questions you receive from the public.

Construction on individual properties will last for a few days to a couple of weeks depending on their size and the terrain. The entire project will take about two and a half years to complete.

  • If you know how long you will be working on the property or in the area, you can be more specific.

Typically, construction will happen between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

  • If you know about an unusual circumstance that will require your team to work outside of those hours, encourage your supervisor or site lead to share the information with the impacted residents.

Yes. We’ll replace your driveway using the same kind of material we removed.

When we are done, we will re-seed the easement area so grass can regrow. Trees and large bushes are not allowed in the easement because their roots can damage the pipeline.

Most fencing will be removed or relocated during construction and replaced afterward. The details should be covered in your easement agreement.

Yes, household water lines and other small utilities will be allowed to cross the easement after construction is complete. But if you damage the pipeline, you will be responsible for the repair costs.

We do not anticipate damage to utilities. If something unexpected happens, we will be responsible for making sure your service is restored.

When we’re finished, we will compact the soil, regrade it and cover the disturbed area with a seed mix. We will also replace your mailbox and replace or rebuild anything else mentioned in the terms of your easement agreement.

Yes. Pavement for driveways and parking lots is allowed over the easement once construction is complete.

Other Common Questions

Use the information below to answer general questions about the project.

The Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project is a partnership between Union County and the Town of Norwood to provide a long-term, sustainable supply of water to residents in Union and Stanly Counties.

Early in the planning process, the project team conducted a study to investigate possible impacts. The study found…

  • Minor deviations to the water level – less than one-half inch – could happen one to two percent of the time. (To say it another way, that’s like three to seven days in a year.)
  • Even in a drought like the worst on record, the water level in the lake will still be two feet above the bottom of Lake Tillery’s public boat ramps.  

It is important to note that lake levels will always stay within Lake Tillery’s current operating range, which is controlled by Duke Energy.

Do you want to know more? Visit www.yadkinwater.com and watch the videos at the bottom of the home page!

The project will serve the Town of Norwood and Yadkin river basin water customers in Union County. Stanly County will also have access to up to 1.5 million gallons of water per day when the project is complete. Stanly County will be responsible for deciding how to deliver and use its share of the water.

No. These pipelines are not compatible with small connections. The water supply pipeline from Lake Tillery to the new water treatment plant in Union County will carry untreated water, which is not suitable for drinking.

Visit the project’s website, yadkinwater.com, or send an email to the project team at info@yadkinwater.com.

Resources Recap

  • Answer common questions using approved answers from the previous two pages.
  • Give directly impacted property owners who have more questions than you can answer and members of the media a project information card.
  • Share the hotline number with property owners and members of the media: 709-480-3044.
  • Share the project website address with everyone: www.yadkinwater.com.
  • Do not speak with members of the media. To make sure they get the most accurate, up-to-date information, encourage them to contact the project team by email (info@yadkinwater.com) or by phone (704-980-3044).

If you have questions for the project management team, want to suggest another common question for the list, or need other communications support, please send an email to Amy Shahar at Amy.Shahar@hdrinc.com.

Thank you!

Thank you for helping us build critical infrastructure and strong relationships with our communities!

Please complete this form to let the team know you’ve completed this overview.

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