Major Infrastructure Projects
Buckwalter Parkway Transmission Main & Elevated Storage Tank
This project consists of a new elevated storage tank, located near the intersection of Buckwalter Parkway and Bluffton Parkway, and new pipe to connect the tank to the existing 36-inch transmission main. These improvements will help improve area flow and water pressure during daily demands and emergency situations.
Dale Fire Protection Improvements
Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA) and Beaufort County have partnered to improve fire protection in Dale. The $3.6 million project will add fire hydrants along Morgan Road between Trask Parkway and Keans Neck Road.
Purrysburg Water Treatment Plant expansion
The expansion gives our service area a much-needed boost in treatment capacity from 39 million gallons per day (MGD) to 54 MGD. From its initial design phase in the 1990s, Purrysburg Water Treatment Plant was built for the future of the growing Lowcountry. When the plant opened in 2006, it boasted a design that could be expanded twice – each time adding 15 MGD. Over the lifetime of the facility, Jasper County’s population has increased 35 percent and Beaufort County’s 30 percent.
BJWSA is adding approximately 3,000 new customers annually. That growth shows no signs of slowing. BJWSA’s mission – to provide quality water and wastewater services to our current and future customers in the Lowcountry – was crafted with this growth – and the subsequent gravitas of their public health commission – at its heart.
Though completion of this first expansion is expected in the summer of 2025, BJWSA is looking at a variety of initiatives – old and new – to stay ahead of demand and to prepare for the future of its 750-square-mile service area.
Increased Capacity at Cherry Point Water Reclamation Facility
BJWSA is preparing to increase the capacity of our Cherry Point Water Reclamation Facility. The project will expand the amount of wastewater it can treat from 7.5 million gallons/day (MGD) to 11.25 MGD. This project is expected to require an investment of more than $100 million.
Construction on increased capacity is currently underway. Crews have set many of the clarifier walls which represent an especially innovative approach to construction. The 16’ tall concrete walls would normally be poured in place. However, the construction team opted to utilize precast, post-tensioned concrete walls. These walls were manufactured off-site and are being delivered for installation in just a single day, dramatically reducing construction time and saving several hundred thousand dollars.
This element of the project is a standout success in terms of efficiency and budget management.
The general contractor selected to construct the project is Reeves Young based in Sugar Hill, Ga., a contractor with more than 70 years of heavy civil construction experience.
BJWSA encourages customers to return to this page for regular updates.
Bluffton Area Wastewater Improvements
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA) has begun a $21 million investment project to address the increasing demand for sewer capacity in the rapidly growing Bluffton area. The initiative focuses on expanding the capacity of two pump stations, located near the intersections of Buck Island Road and Baylor Drive and Malphrus Road and Pine Forest Drive. These expansions, which will increase flow rates at each station by nearly 80 percent, serve Rose Hill, downtown Bluffton and neighborhoods stretching east to the Hilton Head bridges.
As part of the project, BJWSA will also construct a new 850,000-gallon below-ground storage tank at the Malphrus Road and Pine Forest Drive location to enhance capacity and improve flows, especially during wet weather events. While these system improvements are for the sanitary sewage collection system, not stormwater, rainwater does infiltrate the sanitary system. Every ounce of water that contacts sanitary sewage must be treated as sewage. BJWSA does not construct flood control infrastructure or manage stormwater.
BJWSA selected the contractor Wharton-Smith, Inc. to construct this project. There will be no service interruptions associated with the projects. Traffic near both sites may be affected through March 2025. We ask that drivers in the area use extra caution as workers may be present.
This major investment reflects BJWSAs commitment to keeping pace with Bluffton’s growth and ensuring reliable service for residents and businesses. Nearly half of the project is being funded by a $10 million grant from the Rural Infrastructure Authority’s (RIA) South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIIP).