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{mosimage}Anyone who drives through Johnston County can see changes. Based on census populations and projections, an additional 25,000 people will move into Johnston County over the next six years. Currently, an estimated 143,917 live in the county. By 2010, that number will increase to approximately 168,200. The County has experienced consistent growth over the last decade, made apparent by overcrowded schools, busy traffic, and strains on the public utilities.

How many people relocate to Johnston County?  Quite a few. Take a look at the average number of people who moved into Johnston County each month since 2001:

       YEAR              Average of new residents
                              to the County each month 
       _____________________________________
       2001                                  385 
       2002                                  398 
       2003                                  326 
       2004                                  417 
       2005                                  399       
       2006                                  447

What issues does Johnston County face with such strong growth?

Overcrowded Schools
Johnston County is the fastest growing school district in the state, with an enrollment of 31,000, and {quotes align=right}adding over 1,000 students per year.{/quotes} Our once-rural district expects to reach 40,000 by 2015.  That means the board must build schools, hire teachers and keep up with the growing demands of a diverse district. West Johnston High School was the newest high school built four years ago, but is already over capacity. A recent bond referendum and lottery earnings could help ease the growing pains in the County's school system. The district is comprised of 39 schools and 3,800 employees.

{mosimage}Busy Traffic
The new 70 bypass will have an effect on the county, but its impact is still uncertain. "The  bypass opens up more of the county to the Triangle by providing better access so it is possible that the growth being experienced in the Cleveland Area would spread further east into the County," says Berry Gray, Planning Director for Johnston County.  A bypass doesn't necessarily mean that there would be an increase in growth for the County as a whole; but could move the higher growth areas from one spot to another. However, overall growth increase is also possible.

Water and Sewage
Capacities {mosimage}
Currently, the County's water capacity is 19mgd (million gallons per day). Due to population growth trends in the County, the capacity is expected to be at least 30mgd by the year 2025. The challenges of the County's public utilites are funding improvements to meet the continuously increasing demands of County growth while maintaining reasonable and competitive user charges, according to Tim Broome, Director of Utilities & Engineering.  Roughly 43% of County residents use well water; private and public; while the remaining 57% rely on public water. The County's water and sewer systems are 100% user funded, no Ad Valorem tax revenue is involved.

It is an equal challenge to arrange funding and to complete construction of treatment facilities for sewage. The Public Utilities Department expects to receive permits to expand the County's Central Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant from 7mgd to 13.5mgd in October. This will be the culmination of three years of engineering studies and reports, engineering design, and permit applications. The Department is currently working on arranging funding for $20 million in wastewater facilities construction over the next five years.

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