Alljoy is Getting All Hooked Up

By Hailey Murphy.

S.C. Sea Grant Consortium employees participating in the groundbreaking for a new public sewer line in Alljoy, S.C. Photo credit: Haley Hughes, Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority.

The Lowcountry is famous for charming communities nestled into the curves of major river systems and along stunning salt marshes. The Town of Bluffton, S.C., is a prime example, with homes, businesses, public parks, and historic sites in view of the scenic May River along Alljoy Road.

The Town of Bluffton has a unique relationship with the water. Surrounded by wetlands and rivers, the area faces rising groundwater a very real and frequent threat of flooding. Recognizing this, the Town worked with the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium on the Beaufort County Adapts project from 2021–2024 to study groundwater changes in four Beaufort communities, including Alljoy. The project resulted in maps showing projected septic tank vulnerability and impairment risk based on groundwater depth in Beaufort County, as reported in Duncan R. Williamson’s College of Charleston graduate thesis “Assessing Septic System Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise Using a Hybrid Groundwater Modeling Approach – Beaufort County, SC.”

Spurred by community concern and backed by research, the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA) started the Go2Sewer for a Cleaner May River initiative; “Currently, area septic systems are leaking waste into our environmentally fragile watershed, including Stoney Creek and the May River, threatening wildlife, water quality, and public health and risking the future of recreation opportunities like fishing, paddling, and boating in the area.”

Alljoy Go2Sewer Phase 1 project area, with homes and land eligible to switch from septic to sewer outlined in light blue. Future phases will extend beyond these boundaries, pending funding. Map courtesy of the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority.

On the morning of July 22, 2026, about 60 Alljoy community members came out to witness as the Town took one more step towards resiliency, breaking ground on Phase One of the Go2Sewer initiative in Alljoy, which aims to transition properties from septic systems to a more sustainable public sewer system, enhancing public health, groundwater quality, and the ecological vitality of the Stoney Creek and May River watershed. The project is a multi-year collaborative partnership between BJWSA, Beaufort County, the Town of Bluffton, and the State of South Carolina.

Verna Arnette, General Manager at BJWSA, recognized the “research data provided by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and the University of South Carolina, Beaufort, and their commitment to studying septic system impairment and their impact on water quality.”

The groundbreaking celebration brought together state and local government representatives, residents, and resilience specialists to share in the moment.

“This represents a vision that we had back in 2019,” said Michael Bell, BJWSA Vice Chairman and Ad Hoc Underserved Chairman. “We were charged with looking at long-term solutions, trying to figure out how to protect the river, how to provide relief for folks who have septic tanks that they can’t flush.”

Michael Bell, BJWSA Vice Chairman and Ad Hoc Underserved Chairman, on the banks of the May River in Bluffton, S.C., speaking at the Alljoy Go2Sewer groundbreaking celebration. Photo credit: Noah Stillman/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

In Alljoy, Phase One begins the process by connecting over 100 homes to public sewer and decommissioning septic systems on each property, which are more prone to backups, failures, and damage during flooding events, leading to water contamination. The project will include three phases, each of which will focus on different zones of the Alljoy community. Steps for each phase include obtaining funding, assisting residents and landowners with the legal process of attaining permissions, constructing new water pipelines, decommissioning septic tanks, and connecting each parcel to the new system.

“While today’s groundbreaking celebrates one important project, the vision goes a lot further,” said Bell. “It is a septic-to-sewer initiative that is a long-term commitment through our funding so that we can identify other areas. This initiative is about fairness; it’s about environmental stewardship; it’s about protecting our waterways that define this Lowcountry—this beautiful place we live—and it’s about creating healthier neighborhoods.”

Communities across the Lowcountry can now look to Alljoy as another site where research successfully informed tangible and necessary change in the daily lives and health of South Carolinians.

“We have truly appreciated all the work done by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium related to the Alljoy community,” said Charlie Stone, Director of Government Affairs with the BJWSA. “I can truly say that without your data, it’s likely we wouldn’t be moving forward with this project.” 

To learn more about Beaufort County Adapts, contact Landon Knapp, Director for Research and Partnerships. For more information on the Go2Sewer for a Cleaner May River Initiative, reach out to the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority.