Brunswick County, NC Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Sec. 1-13-143 sets the county's Reclaimed Water Usage Policy, adopted to reduce demand on the potable water supply by encouraging reclaimed water for irrigating golf courses, development common areas, commercial landscaping, public parks, agricultural and forestry land, and residential lots. Reclaimed water is defined as water treated at a water reclamation facility to meet or exceed the quality standards in the NC DENR (now NCDEQ) reclaimed water rules. Once a reclaimed water transmission main is available to a property, the owner may apply to connect by submitting plans and specifications, obtaining all required permits, and getting approval from the Public Utilities Department director; reclaimed water may only be used for irrigation or groundwater recharge unless the director approves another use.

Connection is encouraged but not required for developments with existing irrigation systems, except that the county can require developments of more than 500 planned residential units, approved after the policy's effective date, to build irrigation systems capable of using reclaimed water for required common areas. Property owners must install and maintain a backflow prevention device on any potable system serving a reclaimed-water property, and county personnel retain a right of entry to inspect for compliance. The board of commissioners sets connection fees and usage rates through the public utilities fee schedule and can establish priorities for extending transmission mains.