WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — Linking a local beach town directly to the area’s largest water supplier may be a practical move in the long run, but it’s expensive and complicated.
Wednesday, three hours after Cape Fear Public Utility Authority accepted a $400,000 grant to fund a study on consolidating with Wrightsville Beach’s water system, a consultant was speaking to town officials across the bridge.
READ MORE: Wrightsville Beach rundown: CFPUA merger study, employee raises and bike/ped plan
Jeff Adkins, of the engineering firm HDR, walked them through the basic steps to get started. Adkins said the study will develop a capital improvement plan to outline how the town’s system can be made compatible with the authority’s, including special equipment and software.
The plan will also address rehabilitating “aging infrastructure.” Adkins noted subconsultant and water infrastructure company Highfill is preparing the capital plan and so far the process has identified $25.5 million worth of projects.
Here is what was presented:
- $1.8 million for galvanized pipe replacement
- $788,000 for water meter conversion
- $2.2 million for water supply and interconnectivity improvements
- $2 million for Intracoastal Waterway redundant waterline crossing
- $1.5 million for Banks Channel crossing redundant waterline crossing
- $4.8 million for A.C./cast iron water main rehabilitation
- $200,000 for pump state supervisory control and data acquisition conversion
- $700,000 for wastewater pump station one capacity improvements
- $400,000 for sewer service area and force main condition assessments
- $2.5 million for northeast interceptor Intracoastal Waterway redundant crossing
- $3.1 million for pump station three sewer rehabilitation
- $6.2 million for pump stations one, four and five sewer service area rehabilitation
Adkins said the town will need to tackle some of the projects in the future regardless of whether it goes through with consolidation. He said the software and computer hardware upgrades would be necessary only to allow the town’s meters to share data to CFPUA’s system, and those parts can be delayed by supply chain issues.
Wrightsville Beach Mayor Darryl Mills told Port City Daily the town operates 11 wells for its supply, but it would be unusual for all 11 to be working at one time. How the wells would be incorporated into consolidation remains to be seen. Mills said some of the wells have tested positive for low levels of PFAS contamination. CFPUA’s goal is for its supply to be free of the chemicals.
Adkins also pointed to operational and organizational considerations the study will need to address like transferring properties, migrating customer service to CFPUA and transferring town utility staff to work for CFPUA. The town currently has seven employees in its public works department.
Town Manager Tim Owens said some employees may choose to transfer to CFPUA but the town will likely try to keep several for its stormwater management program. Exactly what will happen to the department if a merger goes through is yet to be determined.
Every element of the study will be outlined in a draft consolidation agreement that Adkins said would be custom to this situation.
The last, and most important, part to be conducted is a financial analysis, Adkins said. This will include working out an agreement on what the town and the utility company will pay for and how it will affect customer bills.
At the end of Adkins’ presentation, Mills turned to the small audience of six people and implored them to remember nothing has been finalized.
“This is ongoing, every bit of this,” Mills said. “The investigation is nowhere near complete; there is nothing set in stone. This is still very investigatory, no decisions have been made. That being said, we welcome questions and concerns.”
One audience member asked how growth will affect the study. Adkins said the town expects a small amount of growth, but the island is largely built out and the current infrastructure will accommodate it.
The town grew from 5,706 residents in 2010 to 6,512 in 2020 according to U.S. Census Bureau data, though the bureau estimates its population only grew by about 60 people last year.
This process of the merger kicked off last spring when both the authority and town council signed off on applying for the grant from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in April. In the immediate future, HDR will begin hosting workshops with town.
The town has had to make compromises on its water system for about seven years. Mills told PCD the town has bought water wholesale from CFPUA to meet demand during the peak season.
“Increasingly we’ve got a lot of tourists here and there’s always the issue of sufficient volume and flow for fire protection,” Mills said. “We can’t take a chance.”
According to the town’s 2021 drinking water report, published in June, it purchased 47 million gallons from CFPUA in 2021. That was 16% of its drinking water that year.
The town took its 11th well offline in 2019 after PFAS contamination was discovered in the water. CFPUA began offering wholesale water to the town at 20% to help it get by for three years.
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