BOILING SPRING LAKES — Thousands of properties in Boiling Spring Lakes may soon have county sewer service available.
A city of approximately 6,600, residents of Boiling Spring Lakes currently rely largely on individual septic tanks.
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Last week, Brunswick County opened up requests seeking consultants to assist in conducting a Sewer Master Plan for Boiling Spring Lakes.
“It would probably open up pretty significant development in the town if it were to happen,” Boiling Spring Lakes’ city manager, Jeff Repp, said.
Boiling Spring Lakes sewer system
Brunswick County provides limited sewer service along the Highway 87 corridor. That system was installed in 2013, following septic issues at South Brunswick middle and high schools.
“That was one of the impetuses of putting the sewer system in along the corridor – to begin with – was to take care of that problem,” Repp said.
On March 6, Boiling Spring Lakes’ Board of Commissioners authorized Mayor Craig Castor to pen a letter to Brunswick County’s Board of Commissioners. The letter formally requested the county conduct a citywide sewer service study in Boiling Spring Lakes.
According to Repp, the study and any future sewer operations in Boiling Spring Lakes will be funded and overseen by Brunswick County.
“We’re just wanting them to take a look at expanding it off that mainline now into the residential parts of the city,” Repp said. “We have no intention of taking over any part of the service at any time.”
If an extension of the county’s existing line on Highway 87 is approved, a large number of properties would be eligible for development. According to a Brunswick County release, “a large portion” of the city is currently serviced with county water.
Though the scope of impact is yet to be determined, Repp said 12 square miles – about 52 percent of the municipality’s land – could be developed.
“Obviously expanding a public system into the town, a lot of those lots would be serviced by the public system,” Repp said.
According to Amanda Hutcheson, spokesperson for Brunswick County, developers have asked for sewer service in some areas of Boiling Spring Lakes.
“Brunswick County and Boiling Spring Lakes have a close partnership, and together are looking at the best way to analyze expanding sewer services in Boiling Spring Lakes,” Hutcheson wrote in an email. “There are some developers who have asked for sewer in some areas, and we believe it is prudent to work together to determine the best plan moving forward.”
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