Dare County authorizes up to $16 million to replace broken 30-inch waterline under sound

The Dare County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved a budget amendment and a capital project ordinance to move up to $16,000,000 from the county’s water reserves to a capital project for replacement of a broken 30-inch potable water line that runs between Roanoke Island and the beach.

County manager (name not specified) told the board the pipe, installed about 50 years ago, is “brittle” and “really not repairable,” and that attempts to patch it would likely cause another failure downstream. He said the county must act now so new pipe can be ordered and installed before the summer demand surge. “We can't get through the summers without the water,” he said.

The county manager outlined alternatives the staff considered — slip-lining the existing pipe, inserting a smaller pipe inside the old pipe, hanging a pipe from the bridge, and expanding treatment capacity in Kill Devil Hills — and said each option proved infeasible or too slow. William (water department staff) told the board the replacement pipe material is high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, and described its long lifespan: “The pipe is what's called HDPE. It's a really thick wall pipe that gives it a long lifespan up to about a 150 years roughly.”

Boring a new pipeline under the sound is the county’s preferred option, staff said, but contractors have indicated it could be costly. County staff said preliminary estimates could reach as high as $16,000,000 depending on subsurface materials; clay would be less expensive than sand. The county does not yet have final contractor bids or subsurface borings and said it is continuing to solicit firms that have the capability and schedule to complete the work before May.

Finance staff (Dave, name not specified) described the water fund balances the county plans to use. He said the county maintains two water-fund balances: one for capital (extension and replacement) and an unrestricted surplus for operations; each had roughly $16.6 million at the end of June. He explained using the capital balance will affect the capital improvement plan and could require delaying nonessential projects or identifying revenue to replenish the fund: “When we go back and rerun the capital improvement plan, having used up most of the capital, then we've only got x amount of dollars available for capital improvements.”

Vice Chairman House made the motion to approve the budget amendment and the capital project ordinance; Commissioner Balance seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The board and staff said they will continue to seek additional contractor proposals and to work with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and other partners to obtain subsurface borings before final contracts are awarded. Staff said the county plans to order pipe before the end of the calendar year so delivery and installation can occur early in the next year.

County staff emphasized that the funding comes from water fund balances separate from the general fund and property tax revenues. Staff noted that replenishment of the capital balance is projected to occur at roughly $3,000,000 per year under current rate assumptions, or sooner if the county adjusts its capital plan or identifies alternate revenue sources.

The board did not set a final contractor or a guaranteed price at the meeting; it authorized the county manager and staff to begin the procurement and project setup under the adopted capital project ordinance.