What is the Hickory SW Water Extension Project?

Due to an agreement between Catawba County, the City of Hickory, and the City of Newton, a small number of Newton water customers will be brought into the City of Hickory's water system. This means that your water lines will be transferred to the City of Hickory for maintenance and water service, and your City of Newton water meter will be replaced with a City of Hickory water meter in the coming weeks.

What do I need to do?

Property owners will need to come to City Hall or call 828-323-7424 to complete a City of Hickory Tap Card. Once the Tap Card has been submitted and the water meter switched out, your City of Hickory utility account will be created in our system. After receiving your first City of Hickory utility bill, which has your Hickory utility account number, you will be able to create an online account in Paymentus, the City of Hickory's online payment system.

How will this impact my service?

No disruption to your water service is expected with this transition. The water pressure in the City of Hickory's water system is slightly higher than in City of Newton's system. Once on City of Hickory water, your water pressure will be approximately 15 psi higher; please adjust your pressure reducing value (PRV) accordingly. The City of Hickory's award-winning water treatment facility produces water that surpasses federal and state drinking water standards. Click here to read our most recent Drinking Water Quality Report. 

How will this impact my bill?

City of Hickory water bills include three types of charges: a customer charge, an availability charge, and volume charges.

Customer Charge = This category includes those costs directly related to the number and servicing of customers, such as customer accounting, a portion of labor expenses, which are fixed in nature.

Availability Charge =  Costs included as availability costs are those incurred to maintain a water and sewer system capable of serving the total combined demands of all classes of customers. This category would include capital costs, debt service, and other costs, which are fixed and do not vary significantly with the level of consumption.

Volume Charges = These are costs which vary directly with the amount of water and sewer flows treated by the City and are thus variable in nature.

These charges will be combined to show up as one line item on your water bill. To see how your City of Hickory water bill may compare to your City of Newton water bill, see the estimated bill comparisons below:

Who can I contact with questions?

If you have any concerns about water quality or pressure, please contact Assistant Public Utilities Director Caleb Bynum at 828-323-7473 or cbynum@hickorync.gov.