Acquisition of the Bear Den Acres Water System
by Red Bird Utility Operating Company
Docket No. W-1328 Sub 4
August 4, 2022, 1:30 PM & 6:30 PM
Hearing Room 2115, Dobbs Building
430 N Salisbury, Raleigh

Red Bird Utility Operating Company, LLC, (Red Bird) of St. Louis, Missouri, and Bear Den Acres Development, Inc., (Bear Den) have filed an application with the Commission for permission to transfer the water utility system and public utility franchise for serving Bear Den Acres Development in McDowell County to Red Bird.

Bear Den currently serves 50 residential customers in Bear Den Acres Development. Upon acquisition of this water system, Red Bird plans to make capital improvements including replacing a well pump, existing piping in well houses, and the sight gauge on the water tank. The approximate annual cost associated with these capital improvements is $32.56 per month per customer for 25 years. Red Bird intends to request a rate increase about 14 months after acquiring Bear Den. If the full amount of Red Bird’s projected rate increase were approved by the Commission, the average monthly bill charged to each customer for water service could increase to $73.44 in approximately three years for a customer using 1,500 gallons a month.

An expert witness hearing was held on March 28, 2022, at 1:00 pm in Commission Hearing Room 2115, for the purpose of hearing testimony from experts, including Red Bird and the Public Staff.

The Commission has scheduled a public witness hearing in this matter which will be held via two sessions on August 4, 2022. Both sessions will be held remotely via Webex, with people participating over the telephone. The first session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and finish by 4:30 p.m. The second session will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end by 10:30 p.m. Members of the public who would like to testify must register in advance by 5:00 p.m. July 21, 2022, by sending an email to ncucpublichearing@ncuc.net or by calling 919-733-0837. When registering, please provide your name, the docket number (W-1328, Sub 4), the exact phone number you will be calling from to provide testimony, which session you wish to speak at, and the topic of your testimony.

Here is more information on how to testify before the Commission, and here is information on how to provide testimony remotely. People who simply want to observe the hearing may do so via the YouTube link that is available on this website.

Members of the public can also send the Commission a consumer statement via email here. Or they can mail the Commission a statement at the address below. In either case, they should be sure to include the docket number in the subject line of their statement. Within several business days consumer statements are made part of the official record and can be viewed via this website.