The town of Bryson City received notification last week from the North Carolina division of Environmental Quality stating that the Bryson City Wastewater Treatment Plant was at 92.5% of design capacity for 2019 and 104.01% for 2020. By statutory law, municipalities, counties, sanitary districts or public utilities that exceed capacity by 80% are prohibited from extending sewer lines until specific evaluations of future wastewater treatment needs are completed and for those exceeding 90% of their hydraulic treatment capacity which includes Bryson City must submit plans and specifications and obtain all permits needed for expansion before permits for sewer line extensions may be issued. Permits for sewer line approvals while on moratorium are issued on a case-by-case basis, but the division has not determined whether the Bryson City Wastewater Treatment Plant is capable of treating additional waste at this time. If determined to be the case, then a stricter moratorium would be imposed.