The Brunswick County Commissioners decided in 2018 to install an advanced low-pressure reverse osmosis treatment system at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant to remove GenX and PFAS from the water. In 2018, Brunswick County also joined lawsuits against DuPont and Chemours seeking monetary damages to pay for the new treatment system. The recommended new water rates that would go into effect in 2022 are needed to pay for the raw water main, treatment plant expansion, and reverse osmosis system, with debt service starting in 2022.

1. Learn more about our efforts to protect water quality with
reverse osmosis, water rates, utility improvements, and more
Addressing your
water questions
Brunswick County
Public Utilities
brunswickcountync.gov/rates
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2. The Brunswick County Commissioners proactively
decided in 2018 to finance and install an advanced
low-pressure reverse osmosis treatment system
to remove GenX and PFAS at the Northwest Water
Treatment Plant along with other efforts to expand
plant capacity to support growth in the county.
In 2018, Brunswick County joined other utilities to
sue DuPont and Chemours. The County is seeking
monetary damages from Chemours to hold it
responsible for the millions of dollars we are
spending to install a new treatment system
necessary to remove PFAS. The lawsuit remains
active and ongoing.
If approved, the recommended rates will go into
effect January 2022; the County’s debt service for
the raw water main and the Northwest Water
Treatment Plant expansion with low-pressure
reverse osmosis treatment starts in this time
frame.
Background on the FY22 Recommended
Water Rates
brunswickcountync.gov/rates
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3. Those who receive their water service from one of the County’s wholesale customers should
consider their average water use and their utility provider’s current (Fiscal Year 2021) rates
when estimating any potential impacts.
Ultimately, it is up a wholesale customer to decide whether they would pass on any increases
in their county wholesale rate down to their own customers. A wholesale customer might
determine that their current rate structure could absorb all or part of that increase already
without any changes to their rate.
Current Water Rates (Fiscal Year 2021)
brunswickcountync.gov/rates
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4. Based on this data, the Town of Shallotte’s current rate structure shows that customers with
higher volume usage (typically commercial customers) carry more of the burden of costs than
a customer using a lower volume of water (typically residential customers). Shallotte’s current
rate structure does not appear to make a distinction between commercial use and residential
use at this time.
Brunswick County’s current retail rate structure factors in distinctions between residential and
commercial use customers through means such as tiered rates based on meter size and
volume use, and separate customer classes for retail, irrigation, and industrial customers.
Comparison: Brunswick County and the
Town of Shallotte FY21 Retail Water Rates
brunswickcountync.gov/rates
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5. Based on this data, it appears the Town of Ocean Isle Beach’s current rates are trending
higher than the County’s current rate for a 1-inch meter regardless of meter size. Ocean
Isle Beach’s current rate structure does not appear to make a distinction between
commercial use and residential use at this time.
Brunswick County’s current retail rate structure factors in distinctions between
residential and commercial use customers through means such as tiered rates based on
meter size and volume use, and separate customer classes for retail, irrigation, and
industrial customers.
Comparison: Brunswick County and the
Town of Ocean Isle Beach
FY21 Retail Water Rates
brunswickcountync.gov/rates
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