Dare County authorizes up to $16 million from water fund to rebore failed 30‑inch main

The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at a special meeting to authorize a budget amendment and adopt a capital project ordinance that will allow county staff to transfer up to $16,000,000 from the water fund into a capital project fund to rebore a failed 30‑inch water main under the sound between Roanoke Island and the beach.

County Manager Bobby, who presented the problem to the board, said the pipe is “50 years old” and that divers found it brittle and “really can’t be prepared” for patching. “If they could get the patch on it, they’re concerned that it would move 50 feet down the line and bust again,” Bobby said. He told commissioners the line is not repairable in place and that staff must act quickly to have replacement pipe manufactured and in place before next summer.

Why it matters: county staff said the broken line can be managed now but would leave the county “multiple millions of gallons short of water” during the summer months if not addressed. Bobby told the board the county must place orders before the end of the year so contractors can complete work early in the next year and have the system ready by the end of May.

County staff described the options they considered and why they were rejected. William, a water‑department staff member, said slip‑lining and inserting a 20‑inch pipe inside the existing pipe were not feasible because no slip‑lining product for potable water was available and because the existing alignment includes many bends and creeks that would prevent threading a smaller pipe. Hanging a pipe from the bridge was rejected because of structural and clearance concerns. Expanding the Kill Devil Hills treatment plant would require adding roughly “3 or 4 new trains” of about 1,000,000 gallons each, multiple new wells and substantial new piping and would take years — a timetable staff said the county cannot afford.

That left reboring the pipeline as the only practicable option, but bidders so far have offered widely varying proposals. Bobby said one national contractor told staff the work would require boring from both ends and meeting in the middle and that final costs will depend on subsurface conditions; he cautioned the work “could cost as much as $16,000,000” if sandy conditions are encountered. William said the pipe material is HDPE, which can last roughly “up to about a 150 years,” and noted the original installation 50 years ago involved laying pipe on a barge rather than burying it.

Financing and tradeoffs: county finance staff member Dave explained the county maintains separate water fund balances. “At the end of June, it had 16,700,000 in there,” he said describing the capital reserve. County staff proposed using the water capital balance established for emergencies so the project would not affect the county’s general fund or property tax base. Dave said the county’s annual revenue from water is about $16.5 million and that the capital fund typically receives about $3 million per year in planned contributions; using the fund for this emergency would slow other capital spending or require rate or budget changes later.

Board action and next steps: County Manager Bobby asked for authority to begin the procurement and budgeting steps immediately rather than waiting for a regular board meeting. Vice Chairman House moved to approve the budget amendment and to create the capital project ordinance; Commissioner Balance seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Staff said they will continue to seek borings and additional contractor bids, order long‑lead replacement pipe before year‑end, and return with firm contract numbers and project schedules. No contract award was made at the meeting.

Board members and staff stressed remaining uncertainties: borings and final bids were not yet complete, and staff said subsurface conditions (clay versus sand) will materially affect the final price. Commissioners asked about coverage ratios, replenishment of the capital balance and potential effects on the five‑year capital improvement plan; Dave said the county could slow nonessential capital work, raise rates, or use general‑fund transfers in future budgets if necessary.