Four potential spots unveiled for Bluffton’s new water tower. Here’s the likely option
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority on Tuesday unveiled four potential spots for a large water tower planned in Bluffton.
Officials are looking at a site near Buckwalter and Bluffton parkways as the most likely option, according to a presentation at Tuesday’s Bluffton Town Council workshop. Tuesday’s meeting also gave town leaders their first glance at what the water tower will look like — although the renderings and full visibility of the tank weren’t exactly clear.
Former Bluffton Town Manager Marc Orlando first mentioned the proposed 1.5-million-gallon water tower in January. Officials say it’s intended to improve water pressure and quality in the growing town and will service two ongoing water main projects. Orlando called it “a massive project.”
On Tuesday, BJWSA engineering director Rebecca Bowyer told town officials that BJWSA looked at four sites along Bluffton and Buckwalter parkways to house the tower. BJWSA expects to begin constructing the water tower in December with a completion date in March 2023, according to the presentation.
Construction of the tower and two water mains — which will be installed along S.C. 46 from the entrance of Heritage at New Riverside to Gibbet Road and from the intersection at Gibbet Road and S.C. 170 to H.E. McCracken Circle — will result in lane closures along Okatie Highway, Bluffton Parkway and Buckwalter Parkway, Bowyer said Tuesday. Officials will also clear trees at the tank site.
The public water company’s preferred choice for the tank is near the intersection of Buckwalter and Bluffton parkways, according to Bowyer’s presentation.
Officials evaluated four potential spots on a 1 to 20 scale (20 being the best location) based on zoning, ground elevation, visibility, hydraulic performance, land acquisition and environmental concerns. BJWSA scored the Buckwalter and Bluffton parkway intersection (Area 3) at 18, according to Bowyer’s presentation.
The other spots (which are not pictured in the renderings) were:
▪ Area 1: Near the intersection of Okatie Highway and Bluffton Parkway (Scored 12).
▪ Area 2: Halfway down Bluffton Parkway near the Hampton Lake community (Scored 12).
▪ Area 4: Further down Buckwalter Parkway near the Buckwalter Recreation Center (Scored 11).
BJWSA officials plan to meet with neighbors and community members in May and will use public comments to design the water tower, according to Tuesday’s presentation.
After that, the team will complete the design of the project and get proper permits before construction starts.
Construction of the water tower isn’t expected to start until December, but BJWSA expects to start building the water main along Bluffton and Buckwalter parkways in September. That project is expected to be complete in July 2022.
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 9:28 AM.
