Village Projects

Listed below are a few projects and initiatives that are taking place on Bald Head Island. More details can be found below and additional information about these projects will be added as the status changes. Shoreline protection project information can be found HERE.

  • Fall 2025 Paving Project
  • Contractor Services Improvements
  • Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project
  • Lift Station Upgrades
  • Emerging Contaminants
  • Accessible & Affordable Transportation System
  • Wildlife Management

If you have a question about any of these projects or are not finding the information you need, please contact public.information@villagebhi.org.

Fall 2025 Paving Project

Village Staff is coordinating a planned Fall 2025 paving project as budgeted in the FY26 budget.  The budget included $350,000 for a “large-scale” paving project to include sections of South Bald Head Wynd, North Bald Head Wynd, Keelson Row, and some patchwork in some needed areas.  Note that historically, we have done these projects in the Fall, typically after we have gotten through most of hurricane season, at some point towards the end of October/early November, and before the full brunt of winter, given temperature requirements for laying asphalt.  The Village will be putting out a map of the areas and announcing ahead of time the project timeframe so that other organizations that wish to take advantage of mobilization costs can do so.

Contractor Services Improvements

The Village continues to make improvements to the Contractor Services Lot.  Parking spaces are being delineated to allow for additional parking and to further narrow down the waiting list for golf cart and ICE parking.  The Village is considering adding a fee for golf cart charging.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project

The state of North Carolina’s 80/90 rule (15A NCAC 02T.0118) ensures that treatment facilities do not exceed their hydraulic treatment capabilities and details what actions must be taken when treatment plants reach average flows of 80 percent and/or 90 percent of their permitted capacity, based on the average flow during the last calendar year. Prior to exceeding 80 percent capacity, a utility must submit an engineering evaluation of its future wastewater treatment, utilization, and disposal needs.  Prior to exceeding 90 percent capacity, a utility shall obtain all permits needed for the expansion of the wastewater treatment, utilization, or disposal system and, if construction is needed, submit final plans and specifications for expansion, including a construction schedule. If these actions are not taken, a moratorium on sewer line extensions shall be imposed by the NC Department of Environmental Quality, which means no new homes will be built.

The Village of Bald Head Island is looking closely at the average flow and bases its averages, not on the year prior, like the State does, but on the prior peak months of usage which are the months of June, July, and August.  Eighty percent capacity is 240,000 gallons per day. Ninety percent capacity is 270,000 gallons per day.  

The Village Council received an update on the wastewater treatment plant expansion project from Tony Boahn, P.E., from McKim & Creed at its February 2025 retreat. Mr. Boahn reviewed the facility capacity, preliminary design, cost estimates, and the project schedule. The final design of the plant expansion is scheduled to be completed in December 2025. The bid phase is expected to begin in March 2026, and construction is estimated to begin in October 2028. View the video of the presentation HERE and the slides HERE.

What is going on with all the flags on the side of the road?
Some folks may have noticed that these flags have been around the island for quite some time.  They are marking various utility lines for the infrastructure projects that have been on-going for several years (first the broadband fiber project and more recently the Duke Energy project).   Please do not remove them.

At some point ALL the flags will be removed, but not until all projects are completed.  The Duke Energy project is almost complete, but the Village has a few other major projects that will be starting this year such as the installation of the new cell tower and the Village’s stormwater management infrastructure
projects. 

When all projects are completed the Village can focus on removal of the flags, which we agree, are not the most attractive sight on the island, but are necessary to bring forth these planned improvements with minimal delay.

Lift Station Upgrades

The Village maintains 38 Wastewater (WW) Collection duplex lift stations that range from 20hp to 2hp.  The Village contracts out this work and is using the phased approach to spread out the costs of this maintenance over a 5-year period to avoid having to increase fees for Village Utilities customers.  HERE is a list of all five phases of this project.

Question:  Why is there an odor at Timbercreek?

The Primary Main is located at Timbercreek. After investigating the operation of this lift station, it was observed that the floats were not set low enough and the station was not turning over waste quickly.  That has been addressed and has improved the odor, but it is still present at times.  It should be much better in the off season.  The Public Services Department is going to request funds in the FY25 budget to purchase equipment to address the issue long-term.

Emerging Contaminants

The Village’s Public Services Director, JP McCann has been attending NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) workshops locally since 2021. The Village has taken advantage of opportunities to perform testing on the Village’s water and to apply for grant funding (Drinking Water State Revolving Fund) to lower/eliminate contaminants (PFAS). The testing results and background information can be found on the Village’s Emerging Contaminants webpage HERE.

Accessible & Affordable Transportation System

The Village has taken measures to ensure that the island’s interests are protected as the developer (Bald Head Island Limited) exits the island. All island stakeholders must have an accessible and affordable transportation system now and in the future. These efforts have led to legal action by both parties. To keep islanders informed of the status of the litigation, a litigation tracker has been created and will be updated as necessary.  The Village Council is updated each month on the ongoing litigation and expenses, and this information is included in the agenda packet for its regular meetings. Click HERE to view the agenda packets.

Wildlife Management – Deer:

The Village has been monitoring the deer population through its annual environmental services contract with the Bald Head Island Conservancy dating back to the early 2000’s.  The Conservancy performs spotlight surveys in the summer and uses cameras in the fall to track and estimate the deer population and makes management recommendations to the Village.

In the past, the Village has used a culling and/or a combination of culling and immunocontraception to manage the population.  The immunocontraception program, the first of its kind in NC, was initiated on BHI by way of a research permit issued by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) for 5 years beginning in 2014.  The permit was extended for 2 years and was suspended in 2021 when the population fell below the target herd size of approximately 200 deer.

Since the population has increased, the Village will need to perform a cull in winter 2025/2026 to reduce the population. Consideration is being made to restart the immunocontraception program in late 2026/early 2027, but that remains to be seen as the Village Council continues to discuss pros, cons, and overall cost-benefit to the island.

Additional information and resources can be found on the Village’s Deer Management webpage HERE.

What are the green plastic safety fences in the maritime forest? These are exclosures to protect vegetation from deer. See more information about these on the BHI Conservancy website HERE. Several were damaged from recent hurricanes and staff with the Bald Head Woods Reserve are aware of this and are evaluating options (repair/replace/remove).

Coyote: During the 2019 turtle season, the Conservancy reported that coyotes were disturbing turtle nests and eating the eggs. Several non-lethal methods were used to deter the coyotes with little success. After consulting wildlife biologists about the viability of trapping coyotes, the Village and the Conservancy worked together to obtain a depredation permit. At this time, the Village currently has no plans in place to renew or use the permit. Please see the latest efforts the Conservancy is making in studying predator behavior on the shoreline HERE.