On November 6, 2006, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners approved an Agreement between the Town of Sunset Beach and Brunswick County for the construction of a wastewater collection system that would serve the areas within the Town without sewer service available.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the County agreed to design, apply for permits, and construct a sewer collection system that can provide sewer service to those lots within the corporate limits of the Town of Sunset Beach. The County also agreed to apply for permits and construct any and all transmission mains needed to transport wastewater from the sewer collection system described above from the Town to either a County-owned pump station or County-owned wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater generated within the sewer collection system will be treated at a County-owned facility. All facilities constructed under this Agreement will be owned, operated, and maintained by the County.

In the Agreement, the Town and County agreed that the property owners who receive benefit from the project would be assessed their proportionate share of the cost of the project. Property owners will not be assessed until all work is completed and the total cost of the project known. The County will provide the construction financing for the project and property owners will have three years to pay their assessment after notification of the assessment amount.

Property owners with an existing structure that connects to the new wastewater collection system within one year of sewer service being made available will not be required to pay normal County Capital Recovery Fees and Sewer Transmission Fees. Property owners who connect after that one year period will be required to pay normal County connection fees. Also, all properties who connect to the new system will pay the same sewer rates as all other County residential customers.

The County requested proposals from engineering firms for the design of the improvements associated with the Sunset Beach Wastewater Collection System Project. After the Consultant Section Committee reviewed all of the proposals received, URS Corporation - North Carolina was selected to design the project. The Board of Commissioners approved a contract with URS Corporation on March 19, 2007. The design of the wastewater collection system is underway and is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2008.

• Sunset Beach Wastewater Collection System Map

• Connection to a Vacuum Valve Pit - .pdf
• Connection to a Low Pressure Sewer Main - .pdf
• Connection to a Gravity Sewer Main - .pdf
• Grinder Pump Station Homeowner Information - .pdf file

• Sunset Beach Wastewater Collection System Schedule

1. WHEN WILL SEWER SERVICE BE AVAILABLE?
In 2007, Brunswick County entered into a contract with URS - North Carolina, a national consulting engineering firm, to design the wastewater collection system within the Town of Sunset Beach. The contract schedule calls for the design to be completed by the summer of 2008. Assuming no unforeseen delays in obtaining the permits required to construct the project, the project is scheduled to be advertised for bid in January of 2009. Based upon the size and complexity of the project, the estimated construction period is 18 to 24 months. Based upon this schedule, sewer service would be available in late 2010.

2. HOW WILL THE ASSESSMENT AMOUNT FOR MY LOT BE DETERMINED?
The property owners who receive sewer service as a result of this project will be assessed their proportionate share of the cost of the total project cost. At this point in the project, we do not know what the total cost of the project will be. Also, the Board of Commissioners has a number of options in determining how to allocate the total cost among the property owners receiving service. Under North Carolina law, the Board can allocate cost based upon the number of lots receiving service, the front footage of the lot on the street, the size of the parcel, or any combination of these methods. At this time, the Board has not made a decision on what method will be used to allocate the cost to the individual lot. All lots will be assessed using the same method.

3. WHAT TYPE OF SEWER SERVICE WILL BE PROVIDED TO MY LOT?
Depending on the area, sewer service will be provided by a vacuum type collection system, low pressure sewer system, or a gravity collection system. Sewer service on the island portion of the project will be provided using a vacuum type collection system. For this type of system, property owners will connect to a sewer service connected to a vacuum valve vault. For properties served by a low pressure sewer system, a service line that terminates in a valve box located at the property line will be installed. If the property owner desires to connect to the sewer system, a grinder pump station will be constructed on their property and the property owner would connect to the grinder pump station. For properties served by a gravity sewer main, the property owner will connect to a sewer service located at the street right-of-way or easement line.

4. WILL PROPERTY OWNERS BE REQUIRED TO CONNECT TO THE SEWER SYSTEM WHEN SERVICE IS AVAILABLE?
Brunswick County will not require existing homeowners to connect to the sewer system when service is available. However, the County will charge each existing homeowner who does not connect to the system an availability charge. The current availability fee is $18 per month. During the first year of sewer service availability, Brunswick County will waive the Capital Recovery Fee for all existing homeowners who connect to the system. After that one year period, property owners connecting to the system will be charged the Capital Recovery Fee (currently $4,000) in effect at the time of connection. For those properties served by a low pressure sewer system, an additional grinder pump installation fee (currently $4,000) would be charged.

5. WHAT WILL THE HOMEOWNER BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IF THEY WANT TO CONNECT?
Brunswick County will be responsible for constructing all of the sewer mains, force mains, and pump stations that will provide sewer service to the property. The homeowner will be responsible for contracting with a licensed plumber to disconnect the existing main that goes from the house to the septic system and connect that main to the sewer service installed by the County. The homeowner will also be responsible for abandoning the septic system in conformance with the Town's code. For homes that will be served by a low pressure sewer system, the homeowner will also be responsible for connecting the grinder pump station to the house electrical system.

6. HOW LONG WILL A PROPERTY OWNER HAVE TO PAY THE ASSESSMENT?
Based upon the current schedule, the property owner will not receive their assessment until sometime in 2011. After the assessments have been finalized, property owners will have up to three years to pay the assessment. Property owners who pay within the first year of the assessment will not pay any interest on the assessment. Property owners who pay after the one year period will pay 8% interest on the unpaid balance of the assessment.

7. HOW WILL PROPERTY OWNERS BE IMPACTED DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS?
Most construction that will occur as a result of this project will be conducted within the street rights-of-way. Property owners who have constructed improvements within the right-of-way such as shrubbery and landscaping will be given an opportunity to relocate their shrubbery or landscaping in advance of the construction.

8. WHY WAS THE ASSESSMENT METHOD OF FUNDING THE PROJECT SELECTED?
After evaluating several funding options, the Sunset Beach Town Council and the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners determined that the assessment method was the fairest method of allocating the cost of the project to the properties that would receive benefit from the project.