Pender County

PENDER COUNTY UTILITIES
INTERBASIN TRANSFER CERTIFICATE

Primary Applicant:

Pender County Utilities

(and the Towns of Burgaw, Topsail Beach, Surf City and Wallace and Utilities, Inc.)
Source Basin: Cape Fear River IBT Basin (2-3)
Receiving Basin: South River IBT Basin (2-4);
Northeast Cape Fear River IBT Basin (2-5);
New River IBT Basin (2-6)
IBT (Average Daily for Maximum Month): 14.5 MGD

The Pender County IBT certificate was approved by the Environmental Management Commission at its July 12, 2018 meeting.  (Certificate)

Pender County currently provides drinking water to customers in two of the county's six water and sewer districts, as well as the Towns of Saint Helena and Watha.  Pender County was granted an interbasin transfer (IBT) certificate for up to 14.5 million gallons per day (mgd), calculated on an average day of the maximum month basis.  The approved transfer allows for the movement of surface water from the Cape Fear River IBT Basin to the South River IBT Basin, Northeast Cape Fear River IBT Basin, and the New River IBT Basin.  The transfer amount is based on population growth and water use projections through the year 2050, as well as planned water system expansion into the county's other four water and sewer districts that are not currently served.  Additionally, there are plans for service to be provided to local municipalities within Pender County that currently operate their own water systems, which are reliant upon groundwater, and have identified the need to receive water from the county in the future.  The local municipalities that plan to transition to surface water acquired through the proposed transfer are co-applicants on the IBT certificate and include: the Towns of Burgaw, Topsail Beach, Surf City, and Wallace as well as Utilities, Inc. (for water service to the Belvedere Plantation and Olde Pointe developments).

Pender County obtains its raw water supply from the Cape Fear River through a contract arrangement with the Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority (LCFWASA).  The LCFWASA intake and associated Kings Bluff Raw Water Pumping Station are located just above Lock and Dam 1 on the Cape Fear River.  LCFWASA transmits raw water to Pender County's water treatment plant (WTP), located within the Cape Fear River IBT Basin.  As treated water leaves the WTP and is distributed to customers throughout Pender County, transmission lines cross IBT basin boundaries.

 

Annual Reports:

Background Documentation:

  1. Certificate for an IBT Certificate - July 2018
  2. Petition for an IBT Certificate - November 2017
  3. Pender County Water Conservation Plan - October 2017
  4. Pender County Drought Management Plan - October 2017
  5. Pender County Compliance and Monitoring Plan - January 2019
  6. Signed Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) - April 2017 
  7. Final Environmental Assessment - January 2017
  8. Notice of Intent (NOI) - March 2016