Questions
Residents who have questions should contact their water service provider directly or Brunswick County Public Utilities at 910.253.2657 or utilityadmin@brunswickcountync.gov.
PUBLIC NOTICE
BOLIVIA, N.C. – Brunswick County Public Utilities is rescinding its Stage 1 Water Conservation Alert effective Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. This notice affects all customers of the following public water systems:
- Brunswick County Public Utilities Customers (see below for more details)
- Bald Head Island Utilities Customers
- Holden Beach Utilities Customers
- Oak Island Utilities Customers
- Ocean Isle Beach Utilities Customers
Brunswick County Public Utilities provides water service in unincorporated portions of Brunswick County as well as the following communities: Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia, Calabash, Carolina Shores, Caswell Beach, Navassa, Northwest, Sandy Creek, Shallotte, Southport, St. James, Sunset Beach, and Varnamtown.
This notice does not apply to customers of Brunswick Regional – H2GO. H2GO customers should check the H2GO website for information on any conservation measures issued by H2GO.
This conservation alert was originally issued June 26, 2025. Recent rainfalls and the public’s efforts to conserve water have contributed to a drop to sustainable levels for the County’s water system.
Water conservation notices are not uncommon for this time of year. Water systems typically see higher demands in late spring and throughout summer due to the heat, increased irrigation demands, and the peak tourism season.
If drier weather conditions return, additional alerts could be issued. Brunswick County continues to monitor its system levels and will notify residents in the event another water conservation alert is necessary.
Customers are highly encouraged to continue to use water wisely and maintain the recommended water irrigation schedule as follows:
- Odd address numbers: Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
- Even address numbers: Wednesday/Friday/Sunday
- No irrigation on Mondays
Continuing to defer all non-essential water use (lawn irrigation) to outside the peak demand hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., preferably after nightfall, will also help to spread out demands on the system.
Residents who have questions should contact their water service provider directly or Brunswick County Public Utilities at 910.253.2657 or utilityadmin@brunswickcountync.gov.
Information and any updates can be found at brunswickcountync.gov/utilities.
Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements
Brunswick County currently has several projects under way to increase capacity to address the future estimated growth in our water and wastewater (sewer) utilities systems.
Whenever a proposed development project comes before the County, some of the many considerations during the review and approval process is to confirm there will be enough water and wastewater capacity at our plants when it is time for the development to join into the systems. Since projects have five years to begin construction after Planning Board’s approval, it can take several years before the development joins the water and sewer systems.
New developments must also pay System Development Fees (SDF), which are one-time fees for newly permitted developments joining either or both of the County’s utilities systems. These fees help cover the costs associated with increasing a system’s capacity to accommodate the projected growth and additional demands on the system; they also protect current customers from taking on the financial burden to expand system capacity.
Water & Wastewater Plant Expansion Projects
MGD = million gallons per day
- Northwest Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Water Treatment Upgrades: Install a Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis advanced water treatment system and expand capacity from 24 million gallons per day (MGD) to 36 MGD of RO-treated water
- West Brunswick Regional Water Reclamation Facility: 6 MGD expansion for a total of 12 MGD
- Shallotte/Mulberry Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant: 1.5 MGD expansion for a total of 2.75 MGD
- Northeast Brunswick Regional Water Reclamation Facility: 3.75 MGD expansion for a total of 8.725 MGD
- Mulberry Branch Water Reclamation Plant: Increase Shallotte Wastewater Treatment Plant’s capacity to accept 0.75 MGD of sewage flow from Southport into the West Brunswick Regional Wastewater System
- Ocean Isle Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant: 2 MGD expansion for a total of 3.05 MGD