NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) – North Augusta’s rapid growth may soon hit a limit — not because of land or funding, but because of sewer space.
The city is running out of sewer capacity. Developers could start getting turned away as early as next fall.
“If it was a credit card and you took it all the way almost to the limit and you didn’t have money to pay it back,” said Dennis Briatico of the North Augusta Council. “In this case, we don’t know where we’re gonna get any more storage from it. It’s a major issue.”
North Augusta’s growth is rapid, but the sewer system is nearly full. The Horse Creek plant can only handle about 2,500 more homes.
“What happens if we run over capacity? Does that cause sewage to start backing up to our, in our homes and businesses? Nobody has really come before council and given us an answer on any of this,” said Briatico.
The planned $60 million plant expansion could take far longer than expected. The contract doesn’t start until late 2026.
“It could turn into four or five, six years depending on what issues they come upon as they’re doing it. And that’s worrisome,” Briatico said.
City leaders say developers could face higher impact fees to cover wastewater and public safety costs.
“I think the city council is gonna have to consider a future moratorium. So we’re just not turning people down until we find a solution to this,” Briatico said. “The big concern is that North Augusta’s losing its small town feel. We definitely don’t want to end up like Grovetown 2.0.”
Nearly 9,000 homes are already approved are covered. Any new projects may have to wait until the sewer system can catch up.
