Dare County commissioners authorize up to $16 million to replace broken 30‑inch water pipeline under sound

Dare County commissioners on Tuesday approved a budget amendment and a capital project ordinance to allow up to $16,000,000 from the county's water fund to pay for replacement of a broken 30-inch potable water pipeline that runs under the sound between Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks.

The funding authorization came during a specially called meeting after county staff told commissioners divers had found the existing 50-year-old pipe brittle and not repairable. "It's really not repairable," County Manager said, summarizing the assessment. He said staff determined a repair patch would likely fail by shifting pressure and causing new breaks.

County staff told the board they had evaluated alternatives including slip-lining the existing pipe, inserting a 20-inch pipe inside the existing pipe, hanging pipe from the bridge and expanding treatment capacity in Kill Devil Hills. Staff reported each option was infeasible: the bridge cannot bear the weight of a full pipe, no slip-lining product for potable water was available, the existing pipe alignment has too many bends to thread a new pipe through, and expanding the treatment plant would take years and require new wells and large new distribution mains. "We can't get through the summers without the water," the County Manager said.

Staff said the likely solution is to rebore and install a new buried pipe. Engineering borings and contractor proposals are still pending; county staff told commissioners a national specialty contractor reviewed the project but bidders said it could require starting bores from both sides and meeting in the middle. Depending on subsurface conditions, the county said the rebore could cost as much as $16,000,000. The pipe material specified for replacement is HDPE (high-density polyethylene), and the existing pipe is also HDPE.

Finance staff described the water fund structure and available balances. The county said it maintains separate accounts within the water fund for extension/replacement capital and for surplus restricted and unrestricted balances tied to revenue-bond covenants and operating needs. County staff said the water fund has about $16,000,000 available in those combined balances and that annual water revenues run roughly $16.5 million. Staff cautioned use of the fund will require reworking the capital improvement plan and may slow or change planned projects; future rate adjustments or transfers from the general fund could be used later to rebuild capital balances.

Vice Chairman House moved to approve the budget amendment and create the capital project ordinance so that contracts and pipe orders can start before the new year and work can proceed early in the season; Commissioner Balance seconded the motion. The board voted unanimously to approve the motion.

The county did not provide a final construction contract at the meeting; staff said they will solicit bids or negotiate with qualified specialty contractors, obtain borings and final cost estimates, and return with contract documents. Commission discussion emphasized the work must be done in time to avoid summer shortages; staff said the target is to complete the project before the summer demand period in May.

The board's motion authorized staff to move forward with the budget amendment and establish the capital project so procurement and ordering can proceed. No rate change or specific contractor award was made at the meeting.