Grand Strand Water & Sewer News
DWSRF Notice – Bull Creek Surface Water Treatment Plant Expansion
May 25, 2023
The Bull Creek Surface Water Treatment Plant (SWTP) Expansion Project is being financed by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The DWSRF program is administered by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (SCRIA) with joint funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This project is designed to increase the treatment capacity of the existing Bull Creek SWTP from 45 million gallons per day (MGD) to 60 MGD. Increasing the capacity of the existing treatment plant is necessary to meet the growing water demands in the Grand Strand service area. Expansion will also increase redundancy at the treatment plant, allowing for more downtime for maintenance to be completed.
The project will include the construction of a rapid mix basin, two (2) solids contact clarifiers, four (4) cell cluster filters, one (1) 2.5 million-gallon clearwell, and additional lime slurry bulk storage. The raw water intake and force main will also be modified to handle the increased capacity. A new surface water treatment plant in the Socastee area was considered; however, the selected alternative of expanding the existing treatment plant was determined to be more feasible and cost effective for the near future. The existing plant was originally designed to easily expand from 45 MGD to 60 MGD with few modifications to the site required.
The estimated cost of the project is $38,636,000 which includes all required intake upgrades, additional raw water transmission line, structures, equipment, electrical, and site piping.
Portions of the proposed project are located within the 1% annual chance flood hazard area. The proposed structures will be elevated above the Base Flood Elevation through the placement of fill to remove them from the flood hazard areas, and a Conditional Letter of Map Revision based on Fill (CLOMR-F) has been applied for. There are no other environmental impacts and measures are being taken to mitigate any impacts within the floodplain.
Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority (GSWSA) will host a public hearing on Monday, June 26, 2023 during its regular scheduled board meeting, to discuss the project and to hear public comments. Members of the public are welcome to attend and provide comment for the public record. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. and take place at the Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority Administration Center located at 166 Jackson Bluff Road, Conway, SC 29526.
