5 things to know about the new $28M Bluffton water tower
A new landmark is taking shape in Bluffton. No, it’s not a statue, a historical marker or a brand new golf course — it’s a tower.
Standing at over 100 feet tall and costing $28 million, the tower is designed to hold 1.5 million gallons of water and address the ongoing pressure — literally and figuratively — that has been building from residents in the Bluffton area.
This new water tower, initially unveiled in 2021, is part of a strategic push by the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority to keep up with Bluffton’s rapid population growth and increased water demand.
According to the Town of Bluffton and the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has added an estimated 10,000+ residents in the past five years alone, making it one of the top five areas in the state for relocation.
Here are five things to know about this new water tower and how it’s addressing growth in the Lowcountry:
1. It’s all about storage and pressure
This new tank is designed to support 11,500 customer connections in the Bluffton area.
According to the BJWSA Chief Communications Officer Jeff La Rue, the tower’s main function is twofold: to provide water storage during peak demand times and to help stabilize pressure in the system, especially during early morning hours when many residents are watering their lawns, showering and starting their days.
Put simply, this tower works like a shock absorber: filling up with 1.5 million gallons of water overnight, then gradually releasing water as demand surges in the peak morning hours for residents south of the Broad River.
“This helps avoid pressure drops, water discoloration and stress on the entire system because we’re not having to pull or push water from somewhere else,” La Rue said.
2. It’s designed for a growing Bluffton
With the extensive growth across the Lowcountry over the past several years, La Rue states that the BJWSA has had an increasingly big challenge keeping up with water demands.
“With so many new customers, especially during peak hours in the day, it can change the water’s direction, velocity, stir up sediment and cause discoloration,” he said. “In an extreme case, it leads to pressure fluctuations in people’s homes.”
Located off of Bluffton Parkway, across from the soon-to-be site of Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s Bluffton campus, the tower was built in response to the residential development in the area, including neighborhoods like Sun City, Lawton Station, Hampton Lakes, Hilton Head Lakes and Margaritaville.
“It’s like building a bridge — you don’t want to build it to nowhere,” he said. “We have to grow with demand, but not outpace it.”
While use fluctuates month by month, on average, the system uses 30 million gallons of water a day during the summer months and roughly half that in the wintertime.
“With 3,000 new customers added annually, that demand is getting higher every year and every day, meaning that we must carefully time infrastructure investments,” La Rue said.
3. It’s funded by ratepayers
The total cost of the tower is $28 million, with the funding coming from BJWSA rates.
According to La Rue, the cost is covered by issuing bonds, which are paid back over time through customer water rates.
This water tower project is part of a broader $600 million infrastructure improvement plan to ensure water service keeps pace with the Lowcountry’s growth. La Rue said that other major initiatives include doubling treatment capacity at the Purrysburg Water Treatment Plant and upgrades at the Cherry Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
4. It has a distinct look
Functionally, this tank operates like others in the system. But visually, it’s different.
The most noticeable design change? It uses a single-column support structure, whereas older tanks in the area rest on multiple legs.
La Rue states that this is the first composite tank in the BJWSA system. It combines a concrete column and steel bowl for a more streamlined profile than a similarly-sized legged tank. As a bonus, the hollow column structure provides additional storage space for supplies and equipment.
While the design doesn’t change how the tank performs, it will add a more modern touch to the Bluffton skyline and be the largest tank south of the Broad River.
5. It’s not in service yet, but it’s close
Although the structure is nearly complete, the tower won’t begin delivering water for a few more months.
Before that can happen, construction crews need to complete a few more steps. These include extending a nearby water line to the tank, adding electrical controls, fencing and landscaping.
Once finished, the bowl will go live, helping to ease system strain in Bluffton and beyond with the aim of completion by this fall.
Even with a new water tower online, La Rue said that customers should strive to follow the BJWSA irrigation management plan. This plan encourages residents to lessen their water usage on Mondays to help maintain stable pressure and a healthy water system.
For more information on this new water tower, click here to view the project page.
