Troubled waters.

• Author: Martin, Edward
• Position: NC TREND: Western Region - Asheville and Buncombe County's water rights

With rivers such as the French Broad, Swannanoa and Pigeon, water would seem the least of western North Carolina's worries. But a reminder of the region's vulnerability in the form of last fall's record drought, followed by a December court ruling that leaves control of the area's biggest water system in the hands of Asheville, shows differently.

The decision by the N.C. Supreme Court means that, for the time being, the system's more than 120,000 customers will see no change in rates or service. Getting to that point, though, has involved a nasty fight that may not be over.

"There were areas in western North Carolina having to institute water conservation measures last year," says Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer. "We did not. That's because we have a plentiful source--we own our own watershed, which is almost 20,000 acres--which is unusual. So you can see how it's something others might want to get their hands on."

The December court ruling overturned a state law signed in 2013 by former Gov. Pat McCrory that would have handed the Asheville water system to a regional authority. Asheville sued to block implementation. A lower court granted the injunction, ruling the law violated the state constitution, but an appeals court reinstated it in 2015.

N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady, a Republican from neighboring Henderson County, is among those who accuse the city of using the water system to dominate smaller towns and rural areas.

"Asheville has nearly a hundred years of using its water as a weapon," McGrady says, while also accusing the city of diverting water...