After a decade, the town of Batesburg-Leesville will finally fulfill a consent order sent by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. 

The town received the order in 2013. It consisted of several general upgrades that needed to be done to the town's drinking water system. 

Construction is set to begin on a new connection to a larger water source soon after Jan. 1. 

The town has used a creek-fed pond to supply drinking water for more than 90 years. But with the town's population seeing record growth, the small reservoir isn’t enough.

“As our town has grown, that source of water is not abundant enough for the future of our town,” said Ted Luckadoo, Batesburg-Leesville’s town administrator. “What they wanted us to do was to find either a new source of water or another source of water to put in its place.”

The town plans to partner with the Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission, of which Batesburg-Leesville is one of 11 member municipalities, to complete the project. 

“We had studies done and we found that the most financially feasible option long term for the town and customers was to go and partner with the commission,” Luckadoo said.

The commission has water lines that start at Lake Murray and run to the intersection of Calks Ferry Road and U.S. Highway 1. 

The commission will extend its lines to Oldfield Road where they will build a new water tower at the intersection of Oldfield and U.S. 1.

The town then will build a pump station that will move the water into town.

“It's a partnership, this project between us and Joint Municipal,” Luckadoo told the Chronicle. “They’re paying for a portion and doing a portion of the work and we're picking up the rest. Our portion will be the pump station and the 16-inch waterline coming back to town.”

The town has received nearly $14.3 million in funding from the state and DHEC to replace the water system, but not all of that will need to be used. 

The town opened bids for the water project in August, and the bid they received was $10.3 million. 

Luckadoo said the money left over will be used to complete another portion of the project.

“There is another portion of this project that's not tied to our consent order, but it's something that we want and need to get done,” he said. 

For years, the town has been purchasing water supplies from Gilbert and Summit to provide backup water to the town. The second part of the water project will suspend this need and connect Batesburg-Leesville directly to Lake Murray.

“We can give Gilbert-Summit that capacity back into their water system because I know they're having capacity issues as well,” Luckadoo said. “They need more water back.” 

Luckadoo isn’t sure how much the second part of the project will cost the town, but he said they plan to make use of federal and state grants to accomplish the project. 

Luckadoo expects the new hookup to have water flowing by 2025 if plans go accordingly. 

“As far as meeting the consent order and the water project with Joint Municipal, very little, if anything, will have to be spent by the town,” Luckadoo said.

Residents of the town shouldn't expect increases in their water bills, he added. 

“We have a long-term sustainable Batesburg-Leesville,” Luckadoo offered. “Our town will have the ability to grow without the threat of water concerns. We will be able to serve the current needs of our town and the future growth.”