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About a month ago, a 30-inch water main that runs under sand from Roanoke Island to Nags Head sprung a leak.

Dare County Water Department staffers spotted water bubbling up and shut the main down.

A diver was sent down to inspect the leak. The diver initially reported that it might be possible to repair the leak. The diver went down a second time. The leak was in an area that was previously patched.

The 30-inch water main was brittle and could crack or break or split. County manager Robert L. Outten said the main was “not repairable.”

Outten reported that during the winter, the water department can manage the situation. However, come the 2025 season, the water system would be three million gallons a day short.

At a special meeting on Dec. 18, 2024, the Dare County Board of Commissioners were briefed on the leak and a suggested fix.

The water system looked at various ways to resolve the water supply problem.

What about hanging the main from the Washington Baum Bridge? No. The bridge is not structurally designed to carry the weight.

What about using a smaller diameter pipe and push that through the 30-inch pipe? No. The existing route has many bends.

What about expanding the northern beaches plant capacity? That fix would take two years to complete.

The last time the water main was replaced, pipe sections were barged to a location and rolled off. Silt eventually covered the water main. That will not work this time. The pipe sitting on the sound bottom would at low water be about 18 inches from the top of the sound water.

Boring a new 30-inch water main to connect Roanoke Island and Nags Head is the answer. Outten told the commissioners “it’s really, really expensive.”

The Water Department has the needed money, estimated to be around $16 million. The department operates as an enterprise, a business. It has two accounts, each with more than $16 million.

One account is required by bond lenders and has about $16.6 million. The second account, called the Extension and Replacement account, has $16,574,069 available for emergencies like this one.

The 30-inch replacement pipe will be made from thick HDPE plastic – or high density polyethylene – wrapped in a rubber exterior.

“It’s mission critical,” said William Nash, the county’s public utility director.

Dare’s commissioners – all of whom were in attendance at the special meeting – voted unanimously to approve a motion by commissioner Steve House and seconded by commissioner Mary Ellon Balance to approve a budget amendment and a capital project ordinance.

After a brief closed session, Outten announced that the board provided guidance and took no further action.

Then, House reported that on Monday night, a U.S. Coast Guard life boat ran aground in Walter Slough near buoys 8 and 8A. At low tides, the water depth is three feet. The U.S. Coast Guard gave notice that for two hours either side of low tide, the Coast Guard’s rescue boats could not respond. The Coast Guard requested Dare County provide emergency dredging by the Miss Katie. The Coast Guard informed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the request. On Thursday, Dec. 19, Dare County submitted the necessary paperwork informing the Corps of the Miss Katie’s intentions to dredge in the Walter Slough to open a passage for the U.S. Coast Guard.

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