Economic Development

The Town of Govan owns and operates its own water distribution system serving a population of approximately eighty (80) residents through thirty-one (31) service connections. The Town of Govan encompasses approximately 480 acres with water service being provided to only about 160 acres. It should be noted that no water service is provided to customers outside of Town limits.

The Town’s current water system capacity is limited due to only one (1) groundwater well, located along the southern edge of Govan Road, which is currently used to produce raw groundwater for use within the Town’s water system. The well has a production rate of approximately fifty (50) GPM and, according to records maintained by the SCDNR, was constructed in 1970. Additionally, based on records maintained by the SCDHEC and a PER performed jointly for the Town of Govan and the nearby Town of Olar in 2006, the water distribution system in Govan was constructed prior to 1938. The system is known by the SCDHEC as Water System No. 0510005, and is rated at a daily production capacity of 48,000 gallons according to the SPDWR which is tabulated in Table 2.4.2-1. All water from the Town of Govan’s well is treated with hypochlorite which is injected through the use of a metering pump to disinfect the groundwater before distribution to customers.

Table 2.4.2-1 Town of Govan-Groundwater Well Production Rates

The Town of Govan’s water system has a surplus capacity of approximately 35,300 GPD. This data is tabulated in Table 2.4.2-2.

Table 2.4.2-2 Town of Govan-Current System Capacity

The surplus capacity would allow the Town to serve additional residents, creating a potential water service supply for economic growth, both in the form of residential population, and the form of retail and other commercial development within the Town.

The Town of Govan currently has no elevated storage tank, but instead the Town owns and operates a 5,000 gallon hydropneumatic (high pressure) storage tank which provides the pressure needed to supply water throughout the system. Additional information about this tank is presented in Table 2.4.3-1. It should be noted that the SCDHEC’s SPDWR would require the Town of Govan’s water system to have elevated water storage once the system has 300 customers or service a population of 1,000 or more.

Table 2.4.3-1 Town of Govan-Storage Facilities

The location of the tank and well are depicted in Exhibit L of this report. Additionally, a photographical presentation of the existing facilities within the town is depicted in Appendix B.

The Town of Govan is planning to connect its water system with the water system of the nearby Town of Olar. Refer to Section 2.5.4 for additional information.

The Town of Govan has developed a rate and fee schedule based on customer usage which does not differentiate between residential, non-residential, in-town, and out-of-town customers. It is important to note that all current customers reside within the Town limits. The Town currently charges a base monthly service fee of $10.00 and $0.50 for each 1,000 gallons of usage. Based on the average residential customer having a monthly usage of 5,500 gallons and for the purpose of projecting total revenues, the average customer would be billed a total of $12.75.

The Town of Govan has an Audited Financial Statement completed annually to assess the financial status of the public services offered by the Town. During the course of this study, no Financial Statement or Audit was submitted from the Town of Govan but financial statement information was obtained from the PER performed jointly in 2006 for the Town of Govan and Town of Olar for the proposed interconnection of their water systems. A summarized version of the financial statement is depicted in Table 2.4.5-1.

Table 2.4.5-1 Town of Govan-Financial Statement

Based on available information obtained during the course of this study, it is suggested that the Town of Govan conduct a Water Rate and Fee Study in order evaluate means by which the annual deficit from the Town’s provision of public services can be eliminated.