New Development

The New Development department serves as the primary point of contact for developers, engineers and contractors interested in obtaining water and/or wastewater service for commercial and residential development, or redevelopment within the boundaries of Charleston Water System’s service area. Responsibilities include service availability determination, hydrostatic flow testing, fee calculations, technical plan review, permitting, and project closeout.

To assist developers, engineers and contractors with the requirements for extending water and wastewater service for new development, a set of quality standards was developed. These standards have been adopted by the Board of Commissioners and incorporated into a single document titled Minimum Standards for the Design & Construction of Water and Wastewater Systems. (a.k.a. Minimum Standards). The Minimum Standards are maintained on our website and shall be utilized in the design and construction of all water and wastewater systems within the boundaries of Charleston Water System’s service area. 


Note: Sections 1 through 5 of the Minimum Standards have been updated.

*Review the most recent Summary of Revisions to the Minimum Standards, effective July 20, 2023.

TYPICAL PROCESS FOR OBTAINING WATER AND/OR WASTEWATER SERVICE

Process

A detailed description of the requirements for obtaining water and/or wastewater service is provided in Section 3 of the Minimum Standards. The resources below are provided to assist developers, engineers and contractors with meeting these requirements.

Service Availability
• Water and Wastewater Service Area (Interactive Map)
• Service Availability Letter Request
• Hydrostatic Flow Test Request
• Water/Wastewater Map Request

Preliminary Fee Determination
• Preliminary Fee Determination Worksheet for New Development
• Asset Inventory Worksheet    *UPDATED* Chrome browser blocks this MS Excel file. Works best in FireFox, Edge, IE, etc.
• Tap, Impact & Change-in-Use Fees

Construction Activity
• Approved Contractors for Large Projects
• Approved Contractors for Small Projects
• Water Standard Construction Details
• Wastewater Standard Construction Details
• DHEC Construction Permit Application for Water/Wastewater Facilities

Legal Documents (Fillable PDFs)
• Bill of Sale (Water)
• Bill of Sale (Wastewater)
• Affidavit of Title (Water)
• Affidavit of Title (Wastewater)
• Affidavit for Transfer of Real Property
• Title to Real Estate
• Affidavit for Exempt Transfer
• Maintenance Agreement (Water)
• Maintenance Agreement (Wastewater)

Financial Documents    *UPDATED*
• Sample – Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit

Easement Agreement   *UPDATED*
• Standard Right-of-Way and Utility Easement Agreement

Checklists  *UPDATED*
• Closeout Checklist (Water Main Extension)
• Closeout Checklist (Water Service Only) *NEW*
• Closeout Checklist (Wastewater Main Extension)
• Closeout Checklist (Wastewater Service Only) *NEW*
• Record Drawing Checklist (Water)
• Record Drawing Checklist (Wastewater Gravity Sewer Only)
• Record Drawing Checklist (Wastewater Gravity Sewer w/PS and FM)
• Valve Card Checklist (Water)
• Valve Card Checklist (Wastewater)
• Easement Plat Checklist

Policies
• Development Policies
• SC DHEC State Primary Drinking Water Regulation: R.61-58
• SC DHEC Standards for Wastewater Facility Construction: R.61-67

Email/Text Updates (changes to standards and policies.)
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