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North Augusta staff recommends reserving remaining sewer capacity for in‑city infill and commercial projects
Summary
City staff told the council March 9 that roughly 1.07 million gallons per day of sewer capacity remains unallocated and recommended reserving it for developments already inside city limits (infill/donut holes) and commercial projects; staff advised that outside residential developments should buy additional capacity from Aiken County.
North Augusta city officials on March 9 presented a briefing on sewer capacity and annexation policy, recommending the council reserve roughly 1.07 million gallons per day (MGD) of unallocated wastewater capacity for development inside city limits and for commercial projects, rather than using it to subsidize new residential development outside the city.
Planning and development staff walked the council through the city's existing policy (city code sec. 2-6) and the wastewater capacity the city purchased years ago from the Horse Creek wastewater treatment plant. "When you take that out of the system because we want to ... that leaves you 1.07 million gallons a day available for new projects," Tommy Paradise, planning and development director, told the council, explaining how permitted flows and pipeline commitments reduce the city's total available capacity.
City Administrator Jim Clifford and other staff described the trade-offs between residential and commercial uses of limited capacity. "Residential you tend not to make your money back. Commercial does though," Clifford said, urging the council to prioritize uses that produce net revenue to the general fund. He added a staff recommendation: "My recommendation to you along with the staff is that we would not use that 1.07 million gallons per day for those purposes" outside the city limits.
Staff quantified how quickly remaining capacity could be used: the Department of Environmental Services estimate of 275 gallons per day per dwelling unit means a 400-unit subdivision would consume about 10% of the remaining supply. Members and staff noted that routine redevelopment or reuse inside the city (for example, converting vacant commercial space or infill housing within city limits) should be treated as eligible to draw from the reserved capacity.
On projects outside city limits, staff proposed requiring developers of residential projects to purchase additional capacity through the county authority at market rates rather than tapping the city's limited reserve. Clifford described alternatives for council consideration, including a hybrid approach if the council chose to subsidize a small portion of capacity for a particular development, but he said the staff recommendation was for developers to bear the cost. "If a developer wants to come in badly enough they should pay for the upgraded sewer rates," Clifford said.
Council members asked for clarifications about specific large parcels that could seek service, including the Kellogg tract behind Fire Station 3 (outside city limits). Councilman Fredus and others indicated they supported prioritizing in‑city infill and commercial uses but asked staff to return with proposed numeric cut lines and formal policy language for council consideration.
Next steps: staff will draft policy options and proposed thresholds (reserve amounts and governance procedures) and return to council for a future decision. No formal vote occurred at the March 9 study session.
