Here's the message from People Advocating for Real Conservancy, published via the advocacy group's email newsletter:

Control of Asheville's water is under threat!

A legislative committee in Raleigh is considering forcing the City of Asheville to transfer control of its water supply to an outside agency.

While the Asheville system serves customers throughout Buncombe County, the majority of customers live in Asheville.

Still, we may find ourselves at the mercy of people who did not pay for the system, we cannot vote for or against, or hire or fire.

At the same time, in a separate committee, a majority of these same legislators are working on a process that could lead to privatization of water utilities all over the state.

We are told the two are unrelated...

The first meeting of the committee eyeing Asheville's water is in Raleigh on Monday, Jan. 23rd.

The second will be in Asheville sometime in late February.

There will be a third and a fourth, and then the committee may put forward legislation that takes away control of our water and gives it to someone else.

This is wrong, and it must not be allowed.

Visit http://www.ashevillewater.blogspot.com for more information and ways to get involved.

You can listen to the first meeting on Jan. 23rd starting at 2 pm, by going to the City of Asheville website, http://www.ashevillenc.gov, and clicking on the "NCLEG.NET" button.