Beyond The Blueprint | Brad Howard joined by Brad Johnson

Here's the question most people around the lake can't answer.

Where does it go when you flush? If you've got a Mooresville address but you don't pay Mooresville town taxes, there's a good chance the answer is your own backyard.

A septic tank and a private well.

Not everyone.

Some neighborhoods are on community systems.

But a lot of people out here don't find out until something goes wrong.

And you're in good company.

The state says about half of the homes in North Carolina are on septic.

Meanwhile, the town systems are running out of capacity.

Start in Troutman.

Troutman doesn't treat its own sewage.

It sends it to Statesville and to Mooresville.

And in September of last year, the town said it had reached full sewer capacity, so it put a 30-month pause on new subdivisions, new apartments, and any new businesses that would use more than 1,000 gallons of sewer each day while it designs and builds the new lines.

Then this April, Mooresville, the South Iredell Pump Station off Mazepa Road near Shepherd Elementary and Mazepa Park, the town says it's full.

NWSOC reported its station is Troutman has been leaning on that for about 20 years.

So Mooresville paused new development on all approvals around it for about 35 months.

And Statesville, the city finished a rate study last October that said it will need more money over the next decade to keep up.

Rates went up 12% on July 1st, partly to pay for more capacity at the Fourth Creek Treatment Plant.

One town runs out of room.

and it becomes his neighbor's problem.

And growth isn't slowing down.

Development rarely dies over a zoning map.

Development dies over capacity.

My guest runs a company in Statesville.

Most people have probably never heard of, unless you're in the business, but he spent years in the rooms where the rules are getting made.

Here's the question most people around the lake can't answer.

Where does it go when you flush? If you've got a Mooresville address but you don't pay Mooresville town taxes, there's a good chance the answer is your own backyard.

A septic tank and a private well.

Not everyone.

Some neighborhoods are on community systems.

But a lot of people out here don't find out until something goes wrong.

And you're in good company.

The state says about half of the homes in North Carolina are on septic.

Meanwhile, the town systems are running out of capacity.

Start in Troutman.

Troutman doesn't treat its own sewage.

It sends it to Statesville and to Mooresville.

And in September of last year, the town said it had reached full sewer capacity, so it put a 30-month pause on new subdivisions, new apartments, and any new businesses that would use more than 1,000 gallons of sewer each day while it designs and builds the new lines.

Then this April, Mooresville, the South Iredell Pump Station off Mazepa Road near Shepherd Elementary and Mazepa Park, the town says it's full.

NWSOC reported its station is Troutman has been leaning on that for about 20 years.

So Mooresville paused new development on all approvals around it for about 35 months.

And Statesville, the city finished a rate study last October that said it will need more money over the next decade to keep up.

Rates went up 12% on July 1st, partly to pay for more capacity at the Fourth Creek Treatment Plant.

One town runs out of room.

and it becomes his neighbor's problem.

And growth isn't slowing down.

Development rarely dies over a zoning map.

Development dies over capacity.

My guest runs a company in Statesville.

Most people have probably never heard of, unless you're in the business, but he spent years in the rooms where the rules are getting made.