2030 Plan - Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority

F. The Bull Creek Regional Water System
Until the mid 1980’s, all public water in Horry County was supplied through deep water
wells primarily drilled into the Black Creek aquifer. As the county’s population and
tourism industry grew, the withdrawal rates began to strain the aquifer such that salt
water was beginning to intrude into the fresh ground water supplies. In addition, water
from the Black Creek aquifer was high in fluoride concentration which caused
discoloration in children’s teeth.
In 1984, GSWSA prepared a regional water plan for Horry County and the Waccamaw
Neck area of Georgetown County recommending the construction of a surface water
treatment plant located on Bull Creek. Bull Creek was recommended because it was the
source of large quantities of high quality water. The plan was a few years ahead of its
time and was not implemented in part because the City of Myrtle Beach, a large user of
water, decided to construct a surface water treatment plant within the city on the AIWW.
Myrtle Beach had a dwindling ground water supply, and the city felt it was in their best
interest to construct a plant to serve just their needs.
In 1986, the federal government passed amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act
which lowered the fluoride limits below the level that could be met from the ground
water supply from the Black Creek aquifer. GSWSA reinitiated its proposal for a
regional surface water treatment plant. The Cities of North Myrtle Beach, Conway,
Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris, and the water utilities of Little River Water and Sewerage
Company (LRWSC), Bucksport Water Company, and Georgetown County Water and
Sewer District (GCWSD) were invited to participate. After months of negotiations,
Surfside Beach, Conway, LRWSC, Aynor, and Loris chose to fully participate in a
regional water system. However, North Myrtle Beach chose to purchase water from
Myrtle Beach. GCWSD chose to build its own plant on the Waccamaw River but
participate in the Bull Creek project for the Murrells Inlet portion of its service area.
Bucksport chose to remain on ground water supply even though it could not meet the
secondary standards for fluoride. The total project cost approached $50,000,000, the
largest financial undertaking and most complex project GSWSA had ever undertaken.
The project was completed ahead of schedule and below budget. From the initial startup,
the plant reliably produced high quality drinking water for GSWSA and other
participants. In short, the project was a huge success.
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