It’s official.

Whitmire water and sewer rates will again increase at the first of the year to help cover the revenue lost from the closing of the Renfro plant, the town’s biggest water customer.

“As long as we had Renfro here, we let Renfro carry the town. We let them pay all the bills and everything,” said Mayor Tim Carroll at Monday’s Town Council meeting.

Now, he says, the town’s got to carry the town.

Council discussed a two-part rate increase at the first of this year. The first hike was announced in February, and the second was planned for September.

But the town is still holding off on the second increase until January, where the new rates set in February will remain, only with a slight tweak: Customers who use 2,000 gallons of water will soon pay the current 3,000-gallon price.

The per-1,000 gallon rate, however, will stay the same.

“It’s a lot of older people, churches and buildings that don’t use more than 2,000 gallons,” said Carroll. “We didn’t want to go up on their rates, so we felt like this was the only fair way to do it.”

Without the price adjustment, “our savings is going to give out,” said Carroll. “We’ve cut and cut and cut.”

Drop ’em a line

Annie Gray asked the Town of Whitmire to run a waterline from the city to Cedar Grove A.M.E. Zion Church where she is a member because the church’s current water well is not sufficient.

“Our well has run dry,” Gray told council Monday.

But to connect a water line from the town’s pipe, 2,900 feet to the church, would cost $35,000 for labor, DHEC permits and everything, said Carroll.

Spending that kind of money would be “about impossible to do,” he said.

If the town did choose to add the waterline, Carroll said it would want the expense to eventually be paid for by new water customers gained with the new line.

But a water line to Cedar Grove would run past only three houses, for a relatively small payback.

“Somewhere along the line we want to try to recoup our investment,” Carroll said.

Gray also mentioned seeing a man with a truck and a big container taking water out of the church’s well.

Afterwards at the church, Gray said there was hardly any water.

“Someone’s taking advantage of you and using your water for free,” said Carroll.

Carroll said he would meet with Gray and others from the church to talk more about a water line.

water, sewer rate increases whitmire supply

Inside Whitmire town limits

Old water rates New water rates



1st 3,000 gallons: $17.50 1st 2,000 gallons: $19.50

per 1,000 gallons: $2.75 per 1,000 gallons:: $4.50

Old sewer rates New sewer rates



1st 3,000 gallons: $10.50 1st 2,000 gallons: $14.50

per 1,000 gallons: $2.75 per 1,000 gallons: $4.50