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Town boosts stormwater funding; Central Island pump station overhaul identified as multi-year capital project
Summary
Hilton Head Island's draft CIP increases stormwater allocations, expands reimbursement dollars for property-owner association projects and identifies a multi‑million-dollar overhaul of the Central Island (Wexford) pump station as a near-term capital priority.
Town staff told council March 13 they are increasing the stormwater program’s capital allocation for fiscal 2026 and putting planning funds in place for a major overhaul of the Central Island (Wexford) pump station.
Staff said the stormwater fund in the proposed CIP includes $6.4 million for a mix of maintenance, neighborhood drainage projects and pump station work. The proposal shifts funds into the CIP to expand the town’s ability to reimburse property-owner associations (POAs) that undertake or contract for drainage projects.
Why it matters: stormwater affects large areas of the island and multiple jurisdictions; town staff said stormwater doesn’t recognize neighborhood or jurisdictional boundaries and that investing now will reduce recurring problems after storms.
POA reimbursements and program structure: Leininger described two program lines for POAs—one for town-managed maintenance/improvements and another that reimburses POAs for eligible work. "We moved that into the CIP for FY26," he said, noting the town wants to reduce POAs’ need to borrow by speeding reimbursements.
Central Island pump station scope and timing: town engineers said the Central Island (also called Wexford) pump station is the last of four major stations to be overhauled. Staff described design and permitting work in FY26 with construction expected in subsequent years and said the project could be on the order of $7 million. Engineering staff signaled they may pursue alternative delivery methods such as design-build because of the station’s complexity.
Other stormwater items: staff highlighted neighborhood projects (Gumtree Road drainage, Jarvis Creek outfall and pump replacements) and said some projects experienced permitting delays—one wetland permit took more than 510 days to secure from the Army Corps of Engineers, slowing work on Moonshell Road and Folly Field neighborhood drainage improvements.
Ending: staff scheduled a dedicated stormwater workshop in August and asked council to expect a multi-year plan for pump station investments and neighborhood reimbursements as the budget process continues.
