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Pender Water & Sewer offers discounted tap fee for limited period; seeks design funds for new interconnection
Summary
Pender Water and Sewer announced a limited-time discounted tap fee program for homeowners and said it will request contract amendments for engineering design of an interconnection and waterline extensions at the Oct. 20 meeting.
Pender Water and Sewer Executive Director Anthony Colon told the Board that, from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025, qualifying homeowners who already have a residence and an existing private well and whose property fronts an installed Pender County water line can apply for a one-time discounted tap fee of $2,500 (more than 50% off the standard fee he cited).
Colon listed the eligibility conditions: an existing residence on the parcel, an existing private well (active or inactive) on the property, and a public water main installed along the property frontage. The program excludes developers and newly platted subdivisions. Homeowners must apply, pay required fees up front, and hire a licensed plumber to connect the meter to the home within a required timeframe; failure to meet the requirements may revoke the discount.
Colon also announced a departmental rebranding: the utility will formally change its public name from “Pender County Utilities” to “Pender Water and Sewer” to reduce customer confusion and misdirected inquiries. He said early results show fewer misdirected calls since the change.
On infrastructure, Colon said the utility will seek Board approval at the Oct. 20 meeting to amend an existing engineering contract with Highfield Engineering for surveying, design and permitting work (approx. $224,000) to create a new interconnection with the Town of Harrells and a waterline to U.S. 11. He said the County budgeted the money in the current year and estimated a six-to-eight-month design/permitting schedule before bidding construction. Colon also said CDM Smith will be asked to finish design work for a waterline along McCray Road in Rocky Point, funded by previously budgeted money.
Public comment and staff follow-up: Residents at the meeting raised longstanding concerns about household water access and drainage near Penderlea and Willough; a resident in the meeting, Ravinia Springfield, asked why nearby properties lack public water despite proximity to county and neighboring-county lines. Commissioners and staff said DOT and the utility will schedule on-site visits and meet with residents and that Colon’s proposed contract amendment will initiate surveying and permitting that could speed project delivery.
No formal vote was required for the announcements, but Colon said six applications had already been filed for the discounted tap program and about 20 additional application packets had been distributed to residents. Staff said they had run a $400 TV spot and other outreach measures to publicize the limited-time offer.
