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How we calculated this

Read by an AI agent (a large language model) from the utility's official rate schedule, then audited by a second model against the same schedule.

Extracted by: Audit · Claude Opus 5.5 · 10/29/2026
Source: 
Base service charge, 3/4" meter: $16.00
First 5,000 gal at $4.15 per 1,000 gal: $20.75
Next 1,000 gal at $4.80 per 1,000 gal: $4.80
Total: $41.55/mo
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Utility profile · NC

BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM Water Rates

BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM supplies water to about 140,000 people in Oak Island, St. James, and Calabash, North Carolina. A typical household using 6,000 gallons a month pays an estimated $41.55, 29% below the national average.

Rates effective 2026-07-01

Updated Oct 2026

How much does water cost provided by BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM?

Monthly Rate

$41.55 / month
Read and audited by AI against the official rate schedule

How the bill adds up

Service charge $16.00
Water used
5,000 gal × $4.15/kgal
 $20.75
Water used
1,000 gal × $4.8/kgal
 $4.80
Total $41.55

How does BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM's water cost compare to its regional neighbors?

Monthly cost (6k gal) vs up to 10 nearest utilities with published rates. Click to navigate.

CONWAY RURAL (SC2620001)
$29.83
CONWAY RURAL (SC2620001)
CONWAY, SC · $29.83/mo · 23mi
WHITEVILLE, CITY OF
$40.05
WHITEVILLE, CITY OF
WHITEVILLE, NC · $40.05/mo · 36mi
BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM
$41.55
BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM
BOLIVIA · $41.55/mo
OAK ISLAND, TOWN OF
$41.95
OAK ISLAND, TOWN OF
OAK ISLAND, NC · $41.95/mo · 7mi
THE CAPE MASTER SYSTEM
$45.89
THE CAPE MASTER SYSTEM
CARY, NC · $45.89/mo · 21mi
HOLDEN BEACH, TOWN OF
$48.06
HOLDEN BEACH, TOWN OF
HOLDEN BEACH, NC · $48.06/mo · 6mi
KURE BEACH WATER SYSTEM
$51.82
KURE BEACH WATER SYSTEM
KURE BEACH, NC · $51.82/mo · 19mi
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, TOWN OF
$53.22
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, TOWN OF
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC · $53.22/mo · 12mi
CFPUA-WILMINGTON
$55.87
CFPUA-WILMINGTON
WILMINGTON, NC · $55.87/mo · 28mi
CFPUA - WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
$55.87
CFPUA - WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
WILMINGTON, NC · $55.87/mo · 31mi
COLUMBUS CO WATER DISTRICTS II, III, V
$56.00
COLUMBUS CO WATER DISTRICTS II, III, V
WHITEVILLE, NC · $56.00/mo · 38mi

Where does BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM provide service?

Population served and the municipalities covered by this utility's service area.

Boundaries from the EPA Water System Service Areas dataset. Not all utilities have mapped boundaries.

Population Served

142,227

Municipalities served

Oak Island St. James Calabash

Where does BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM's water come from?

Supply and provider classification from EPA records.

Primary Source
Surface Water
Provider Type
Local Govt
PWSID
NC0410045

Named intake/well source and interconnections (who this utility buys from or sells to) aren't captured yet — tracked separately for a future update.

Is water affordable for BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM's customers?

Annual bill as a share of median household income in the service area.

Water Burden

0.7% of income (annual)
of median area income · affordability threshold: 2%

We don't yet systematically track whether a utility offers income-based or sliding-scale pricing separate from its standard rates — tracked separately for a future update.

Where did this data come from?

This rate was extracted from BRUNSWICK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM's published tariff document by an AI research agent, then checked against a validation checklist before publishing. See the full methodology for how every utility on this site is sourced and scored.

Provenance

Extracted by: Audit · Claude Opus 5.5 · 10/29/2026
Confidence label: Model verified

Spot an error, or have a newer rate schedule?