CORRECTION

A story in Thursday's City & State section about Raleigh's plan to pump treated wastewater across the city incorrectly identified Dale Crisp. Crisp is Raleigh's public utilities director.

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RALEIGH -- City Councilwoman Mary-Ann Baldwin chastised two of her colleagues on Wednesday for holding up a contract related to Raleigh's $86 million plan to pump treated wastewater across the city.

Her comments came after Councilmen Russ Stephenson and Rodger Koopman peppered Public Works Director Dale Crisp with questions about the project during a Public Works Committee meeting. Noting that the previous City Council, which included Stephenson, voted unanimously for the project 13 months ago, Baldwin said backing out now would be bad public policy.

"We send a message ... that we're not reliable," Baldwin said.

Neither Stephenson nor Koopman would second Baldwin's motion to approve the $2.35 million contract for a reuse water storage tank in Southeast Raleigh. In voting to defer taking action on the contract for another two weeks, they said it's reasonable to continue to ask questions about the system at this point.

"I'm not trying to kill the project," Stephenson said. "We have been put here to ask questions."

Many of those questions related to who would pay for building the reuse system and who would use it. The city's reuse master plan calls for a network of 145 miles of pipe to run from Raleigh's wastewater-treatment plants to major water users such as the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, the Raleigh Country Club and N.C. State's Centennial Campus.

In defending the project, Crisp said it would benefit all of Raleigh's customers by saving 10 million gallons a day or more of drinking water in Falls Lake. That would extend Raleigh's supply and limit peak demand on the system, which would delay the need for costly capacity improvements.

The reuse system would also benefit the environment, Crisp said, because redirecting the treated wastewater would reduce the amount of nitrogen Raleigh releases into the Neuse River.

Koopman said the reuse system could give taxpayers the perception that the city is subsidizing golf courses, because a number of courses are expected to tie into the system.

Crisp said that because the city can't afford to run pipes to every customer, it chose a route that would serve as many large water users as possible.

"Our priority is not those paying the most taxes but those that use the most potable water," Crisp said.

The Public Utilities Department has recommended that the treated wastewater, which can be used for irrigation and other nonpotable uses, cost half the price of Raleigh drinking water. That could change if the city moves to tiered water rates next year, which would mean customers pay more per gallon as they use more water.

Stephenson continued to raise questions about the wisdom of having all customers pay for a system that will be used by a select few.

Crisp said customers pay for all the improvements to the water and sewer system. It's standard policy for the city to have everyone pay for a project of this magnitude.

"That's the way these type of projects have to be paid for," he said.

The committee meeting ended with council members expressing two very different views on the project's value.

Baldwin, noting that her fellow councilmen had asked several questions already answered by the staff, requested that they more closely read the handouts given to them.

"I think it would help to keep down the pontificating to as little as possible," she said.

Koopman said the last time he voted for something he wasn't entirely comfortable with was the garbage disposal ban.

"If I'm not comfortable, why can't we hold it in committee for another two weeks?" he said.