Welcome to Dare County

HISTORY OF DARE COUNTY WATER

NORTHERN BEACHES

Water supply for the beaches began early 1950's with the formation of "Dare Beaches Sanitary District."

No water system developed through this avenue.

Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills both incorporated and developed the Dare Beaches Water Authority. Financing difficulty eventually led to the dissolution of this Authority with the emerging of Dare County taking the lead to develop a water supply for the beaches.

Under a new arrangement, Dare County, Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills agreed to jointly pay for new treatment improvements.

Although these Authorities were created in the early 1950's, a Public Water System was not developed until the early 1960's after the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 because of salt water intruding into private wells that were drilled down 15-20 feet below the ground level.

Both Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head constructed water treatment plants using the Fresh Pond (27 acre surface water supply). Although extensive studies were conducted to find a drinking water source, it soon became obvious that the Fresh Pond was the only source of "fresh water" available. Low solids and iron content of this pond led to the development of the pond as the source of water supply.

Both towns utilized the Fresh Pond with micro-strainers, primarily for algae and suspended matter removal. This treatment lasted for years until algae blooms and high iron concentrations from low pond levels led to further treatment with alum flocculation and settling basins.
By 1969, it was obvious that the Fresh Pond would not be able to supply the volume of water needed at the beach.

Concerns of financing through revenue bonds led NC Local Government Commission to recommend that Dare County be responsible for the development of an adequate water supply for the northern beaches in Dare County. The county involvement led to the construction of the Skyco WTP at the intersection of US Rte. 64 and NC Rte. 345 with wells being located along the road south to Wanchese on Roanoke Island. Presently, 10 wells are drilled to a depth of 200-250 feet in the upper Yorktowne aquifer. With Chloride levels less than 70 mg/l treatment required would be only Ion Exchange Softening. Raw Total Hardness is between 150-170 mg/l.

In 1979, water demand on the beaches exceeded 1.0 MGD. The Skyco WTP came on line August 8, 1980 with a maximum treatment capacity of 5.0 MGD. At that time, the Fresh Pond was moth-balled and kept in emergency reserve. By 1980, demand increased to 2.0 MGD. Peak day in 1983 rose to 4.5 MGD.

So in 1983, the County Commissioners authorized a study of additional sources of water. This was at the time of the summer when water demand was at its highest, with some days the Skyco plant running at maximum production - 5.0 MGD.

Shortly afterwards, the County decided to use a brackish water source found in the water supply study and treat the water with Reverse Osmosis. Extensive full treatment was also developed at the Fresh Pond Plant. This included renovation to the existing facility, addition of filters, rapid mixers for flocculation, and removal of the micro strainers. The refurbished Fresh Pond Plant went back into operation by November, 1985 - maximum daily output of Fresh Pond = 1.5 MGD. Total capacity of Fresh Pond and Skyco Ion Exchange = 6.5 MGD. The 1985 peak day was 5.0 MGD, by 1989, it had increased to 6.0 MGD.

Due to proposed EPA regulations lowering the acceptable Trihalomethane limits from 100 µg/l down to 80 µg/l beginning January 2004 and a proposition to eventually drop the maximum contaminant level to 40 µg/l, the search for additional methods of treatment for the Skyco Plant began. Pilot testing performed in 1998, using different types of anion resin for organic removal, proved that this method of treatment would work for the Skyco plant needs. The expansion project consisted of installing five (5) new vessels, which contain 680 cubic feet each of organic removal resin. Each vessel was placed in the treatment scheme after the existing cation resin softening units. The expansion began in August 2001, with the project being completed in May 2003.

NORTH REVERSE OSMOSIS PLANT

Missimer and Associates of Cape Coral, Florida completed a Hydrogeology study for the future RO plant well field in Kill Devil Hills on the Baum Tract by October, 1987.

Three major conclusions from that report were summarized as follows:

The Yorktown aquifer, located at a depth between 280 feet and 680 feet, can safely yield 6.67 MGD. This is the amount of water needed to produce 5.0 MGD by RO.
Well spacing should be approximately 1500 feet, although this could be increased or decreased at the time of installation pending additional information.
There was sufficient space on the Baum tract for this 6.67 MGD well field.

Eight production wells were placed on the Baum Tract in 1988 and 1989. These wells were drilled to 425' with 100' of intake screen.

We have a total of five monitor wells that we use to monitor the changing conditions, if any, in the adjacent water strata. These wells are located at levels of 310, 410, 510 & 610 feet below the ground. The fifth monitor well is located at the ocean interface, 425 feet below the ground and best represents water quality between the RO well field and the ocean at the level we draw water from.
In the Hydrogeology Study, it was cited that..."as pumping begins, higher salinity water could migrate toward the wells both vertically and horizontally."

Although this horizontal migration did not happen, we now know that high salinity waters have migrated vertically. This is obvious because of the consistent chloride levels from the Ocean Monitor Well. This indicates no horizontal salt intrusion from the ocean. It would have caused an increase in chlorides at this ocean monitor well first.

Vertical migration of higher salinity waters is obvious by the chloride level increases of monitor wells #410 and #510, which monitor well water quality at 410 and 510 feet below the surface.

Expanding the well field towards the south was strongly recommended by Missimer and Associates in their conclusions and recommendations in the Hydrogeology study of 1992.

In the fall of 1994, wells 9 and 10 came on-line. These wells are located near the Nags Head Fresh Pond, south of the Baum Tract. Two monitor wells were added to each well at 40' and 400'. Two ocean monitor wells are added at Albatross and Abalone Streets.

In the year 2000, the EPA mandated a change in the Drinking Water Standard for Arsenic. The maximum contamination level for Arsenic was lowered from 50 PPB (parts per billion) to 10 PPB, effective in January of 2006. The NRO WTP has approximately 45 PPB Arsenic in eight (8) of its 10 production wells. The RO process removes approximately half, leaving about 20 PPB in the product water. This was a problem!

In the Spring of 2003, the NRO ran five (5) arsenic pilot units, all removed Arsenic to some degree. An adsorption method was chosen by, Ian Watson, RO Consultant from Rostec and Associates. Four new RO wells have been designed and are under construction. These wells will provide water to the expanded NRO WTP (expansion includes: two (2) new RO units at 1 mgd each).

These extensive upgrades will allow the NRO WTP to produce over five (5) mgd (million gallons per day) of arsenic free water.

HATTERAS ISLAND

RODANTHE, WAVES & SALVO DESALINATION PLANT

Ground breaking for the construction of the plant occurred on October 25, 1994. The completion and start up of the plant occurred March 7, 1996. Prior to March 1996 the citizens of Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo obtained their water from individual private wells. These wells were often unreliable and untested. After completion of the plant and system, most citizens elected to change their water supply from their old wells to our system. This provides them with a 24 hour per day water supply that is tested regularly and certified safe to drink. The system also provides them water for fire fighting protection.

CAPE HATTERAS WATER PLANT

The Cape Hatteras Water Association, Inc. was established in 1965 as private and non-profit. The Association was a membership coop established to provide a potable water system for the southern villages of Hatteras Island. Hatteras, Frisco and Buxton.

The original plant, which is located on Water Association Road in Frisco, was completed and began production of potable water, from fresh water shallow wells in 1967. The service area expanded in 1975 to include the village of Avon. In 1985 the plant was expanded to a 2 MGD facility and additional elevated water storage was added. An office building was also built at this time in Buxton to accommodate administrative operations.

Understanding that additional raw water sources would be necessary for any further production volume expansion, the Association began the permitting process of placing fresh water production wells in the Buxton Woods Reserve. The Association obtained its permit from the State of North Carolina to place wells in Buxton Woods, however, this permit was appealed. As the Association continued its efforts to place new wells in Buxton Woods, it saw the balance of water impacts, available to serve new connections, running out. In January 1991, the Association, while in litigation over the permit for its new wells, sold its last water impact. The litigation, over the permit to place wells in the Buxton Woods Reserve, came to an end after four years. The final court decision prohibited the Association from obtaining the much needed raw water supply in the Buxton Woods Reserve.

Without the possibility of obtaining a fresh water source to meet the needs of the communities it served, the Association began to explore the possibility of using a much deeper water source. A deep well would provide a brackish raw water which would need reverse osmosis (RO) treatment to make it potable. As test wells were developed and raw water analyzed, it was realized that this was a viable source of additional water. However, the Board of Directors for the Association soon determined (because of the cost in building a facility to handle the production through this type of water treatment) that the financial capability of its membership could not afford this expansion. The Association, directed by their membership, began discussions with Dare County on the possibility of becoming part of its water system. In 1995, after four years without additional water, the Cape Hatteras Water Association membership overwhelmingly voted in favor of becoming part of the Dare County Water System. The process of transferring assets to Dare County was completed on July 7, 1997. On that date, Dare County assumed all responsibilities and liabilities for the system.

Upon assuming responsibility for the Cape Hatteras Water System, Dare County began looking into finding a new and more abundant water supply to meet growing demands.

After pilot tests and several hydrogeological studies, it was determined that the best course to take would be a split system. The split system consists of brackish deep wells that would require reverse osmosis process and a series of shallow wells that are treated using anion resin for organic removal followed by sand filters for the removal of iron. This major change in production resulted in the construction of a new treatment facility to house the process, as well as offices for water department personnel. The Cape Hatteras Water Plant construction/expansion began in 1999 and was completed in 2000. The new production capacity of the Cape Hatteras Water System is 2.0 MGD, expandable by yet another million gallons to a total production capacity of 3.0 MGD when needed.

STUMPY POINT REVERSE OSMOSIS PLANT

In January 1998, a 300' test well was drilled on property owned by Dare County. Based on the test well results, a study was prepared in June 1998 to analyze the feasibility of constructing a community water system. The report recommended construction of a community water system with approximately 14,000 feet of 8-inch water main and 4,100 feet of 6-inch water main. A Reverse Osmosis water treatment facility and storage facilities were recommended to be constructed on Dare County property at the intersection of Stumpy Point Road and NC Highway 64.

A house count in 1998 indicated there were presently 110 residences and eight (8) businesses in the Stumpy Point Community. In the summer of 1998, the individual wells were sampled for coliform bacteria. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the wells were sampled for a total of 28 samples. Of these samples, 51% tested positive for total coliform and 5% tested positive for fecal coliform. These results reinforced the need for a community water system and was a large determining factor in the receipt of the Clean Water Bond Grant.

Funding was applied for through USDA - Rural Economic Development Center - Supplemental Grants, and 1998 Clean Water Bonds - DENR High Unit Cost Grant/Loan Funds. On March 10, 2000, a 100% grant in the amount of $1,901,845 was received from the Clean Water Bond Fund for the construction of the system.

The new system began providing the village of Stumpy Point with a clean and safe drinking water supply in December 2002.