Water Exploration Efforts

10/18/23 update: Freese & Nichols (town engineers) presented the PER at the 10/10 Council meeting and the report is linked below. The plan to construct a groundwater-supplied, elevated tank and strategic transmission lines remains, but available funding will not allow it to be a potable system initially. The pivot is to build a fire-protection system that is expandable and easily convertible (to provide drinking water). It will be sized to accommodate future connections to a potable system.

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2/21/23 update: Freese & Nichols proposed a concept (at the town's request) to consider the feasibility of an elevated tank fed by wells (ground water) that would distribute water by way of roughly 2 miles of transmission lines. The concept is linked below and was well received by Council at the retreat. Council voted 2/20 to proceed with a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER). This work is expected to take about 4 months total.

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6/14/22 update: Freese & Nichols will be presenting the results of a water feasibility study that looks at potential connections to Rockingham County or the City of Greensboro. The study is another look at the cost of infrastructure and potentially sourcing water externally to both improve fire protection and to provide a public, potable water option in strategic areas for residents and businesses.

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winter/summer update: The town applied for funding through Guilford County's RFI process in hopes to secure ARPA money for 3 initiatives (water being the largest). The town was ultimately awarded $5.5M to use for water initiatives.

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2/8/22 update: Council moved forward with a new water feasibility study using Freese & Nichols, the town's current contracted engineers.

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8/6/20 update: Water and fire protection was discussed at Council's 2/1 retreat and 3/10 meeting. An outcome was that the town asked The Wooten Company to update its 2016 study regarding cost estimates for water tanks. This update was recently received and is linked below. 

Also, a resolution was passed late last year requesting an “Allocation of Area Water Authority Funds for Local Water Investment” from the State. That request was answered as part of HB 1163, which allocates approximately $1.1M each to Summerfield, Oak Ridge, and Stokesdale.

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12/31/19 update: The towns of Summerfield, Oak Ridge, and Stokesdale believe that the projected overall costs to develop an area water system as presented by the Timmons Group study are too high to address needs regionally; the towns have chosen to deal with needs independently instead. Each jurisdiction passed similar resolutions supporting a bill to request the equal division of the remaining Guilford-area appropriation of the original $3.6 million from the General Assembly.

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5/1/19 update: The jurisdictions' work group has continued to meet periodically and discuss the feasibility of a future water system. The Timmons Group was asked to modify some earlier-used study parameters to represent a more realistic assessment of costs and potential external funding is being explored. The group will likely meet again prior to bringing additional information forward to the local governing boards.

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9/24/18 update: The Timmons Group's final presentation was received today and is available electronically at the link below. (It's a large file, so be patient with the load time).

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9/13/18 update: The Timmons Group's final presentation materials will be available on this site when that document is received—it's expected 9/21. The next step is for all jurisdictions to review a proposal from Timmons to produce a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) and to conduct a more in-depth study of the groundwater (a field study that would involve drilling test wells). It has not been decided to take further action, but the participants (Guilford County and the towns of Stokesdale, Oak Ridge, and Summerfield) will consider the proposal.

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8/23/18 update: The public presentation of the feasibility study is set for Thursday, 9/6, at 1pm at Oak Ridge Town Hall. Representatives from the four jurisdictions are expected to be in attendance.

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The town continues to focus on the community’s 2010 Summerfield Comprehensive Plan and important Zoning Board work is underway to better align our Development Ordinance with citizen desires as the population increases. The Comprehensive Plan states that "Summerfield is a town that respects the history of the community and balances growth with the preservation and utilization of our natural, cultural, fiscal, and citizen resources to enhance our quality of life and our small town identity."

One Comprehensive Plan action item that is currently being implemented relates to regional exploration of water sources. Using state funding, the towns of Summerfield, Oak Ridge, and Stokesdale along with Guilford County collectively agreed to a feasibility study to have up-to-date, water-related data as growth continues in northwest Guilford. The Timmons Group is doing the study, which is almost complete. No action steps are in play yet to form a municipal water system and final results will likely be presented to the public in September 2018 (TBD).

The "March 2022 water exploration timeline" link below provides further details about water in Summerfield and our northwest area. Also, a conceptual plan of the Oak Ridge Road and Summerfield Road intersection was completed in early 2019 that included a concept of a water tower/tank complex on the northeast quadrant. While not the focus of the intersection master plan, it explores the concept of a potential solution for fire protection. That information is found within the Final Intersection Master Plan and Park Concept Report.