Brunswick County Commissioners approve purchase of 380 acres for future raw water reservoir
BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of property Wednesday to be used as a future raw water reservoir to help increase the community’s access to vital drinking water.
The tract encompasses about 380 acres in the Leland area near the Northwest Water Treatment Plant.
“This is a forward-thinking, long-term investment to bolster and secure our county’s access to our most important resource on earth,” Chairman Mike Forte said. “Having a water reservoir means that in the event of an unforeseen emergency, drought, or temporary water shortage, we will have back-up water supply for all our residents and businesses.”
A lake already exists on about 50 to 60 acres of the old quarry site with room to expand but the majority of the parcel is undeveloped and forested.
The negotiated purchase price for the parcel totals $8,741,778 and $241,778 of it is for timber on the property so that it will remain wooded.
The county says the installation of necessary infrastructure like pumps and pipes will need to occur before the reservoir can be placed into service.
The benefits of the future raw water reservoir are it will continue to supply water to the Northwest Water Treatment Plant in the event that the Kings Bluff raw water transmission system or pump goes out. It’ll maintain water supply for the county in the event of a contaminant spill in the Cape Fear River. Supplement water supply for the county in the event that drought conditions reduce current water supply. Also, stabilize the raw water supply from the Kings Bluff transmission system, helping to increase the Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer system capacity from peak to average daily capacity.
