Beaufort Jasper, county move to assemble funding for AllJoy septic‑to‑sewer project; committee to recommend $1M commitment

Charlie Stone, director of government affairs for the Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority, told the Community Services and Land Use Committee that chronic septic failures in the AllJoy community of Bluffton pose environmental and public‑health risks to the May River watershed and that multi‑jurisdictional funding will be required to replace failing systems with public sewer.

Stone said a Sea Grant consortium study and University of South Carolina Beaufort analysis found approximately 54 parcels in AllJoy currently experience 20 days of septic‑system impairment; the studies project roughly 250 parcels could have 20‑day impairments by 2050 if conditions continue. He described the problem as an environmental threat and a public‑health concern.

Beaufort Jasper’s board has approved $4,600,000 toward a conceptual project estimated at about $15,200,000, Stone said. The authority is preparing grant applications (including a competitive $1.5 million Beaufort Infrastructure Authority request) and is seeking partnership from the town of Bluffton, the county and the state to assemble the remaining funds.

Committee members and staff discussed project boundaries and phasing; Stone said the concept would bring sewer service to roughly 202 homes in an initial phase, with later phases expanding coverage as funding permits. He said engineering and final boundaries will be refined during planning.

Committee member (speaker 8) proposed that the county demonstrate commitment with a $1,000,000 pledge in next year’s budget to improve the project’s competitiveness for state and federal funding. The committee voted to forward a resolution to full council recommending inclusion of a $1,000,000 funding line in the next budget cycle; the motion was seconded by Councilman Jim Glover and forwarded to full council without objection.

Stone said the county and town partners would use a combination of utility funding, state grants and federal dollars to fill the estimated $15.2 million need and emphasized the importance of an intergovernmental funding package to qualify for competitive grants.

The committee’s action was procedural: it forwarded a recommendation to full council for consideration in the next budget cycle. No county appropriation was made at the committee meeting.