Wastewater woes highlight infrastructure needs across Duplin

Most of us take it for granted. We turn on the spigot at the sink and water is there. We flush the toilet and expect the wastewater to go where it’s supposed to go and be treated, protecting our natural sources of water. Since the creation of community water and sewer systems, they have become necessities rather than luxuries. However, based on assessments of sewer systems in Duplin-area communities, it may become very expensive to maintain this luxury.

With communities like Mount Olive and Warsaw already under scrutiny and subject to moratoriums imposed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality because their sewage treatment systems are unable to handle the volume of wastewater, other towns are getting a glimpse into the future of their systems, and it looks very expensive, with the projection of millions needed to maintain, repair or update the existing infrastructure.

Mount Olive’s wastewater woes are so serious that the ability of the town to grow with new homes or businesses has mostly been brought to a stop. The only way a new home or business can be added to the sewer system is if another home or business comes off the system. The town, mainly through grants, has spent millions trying to fix the system with very little results. A parade of consultants and engineers all tell the town the same thing – it will cost millions more to fix.

Warsaw has its own set of serious sewage treatment issues. In August of last year, its wastewater treatment plant suffered a serious malfunction, resulting in over nine million gallons of partially-treated wastewater being dumped into Stewarts Creek, which eventually flows into the Black River and the Cape Fear River.

As a result of permit violations, the town of Warsaw has paid more than $223,000 in fines to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Since the mishap in August, the Warsaw wastewater treatment plant has been operational, but not compliant with regulations. It has been estimated it will take at least $44 million to bring the plant into full compliance, as well as meet the capacity needed for near-future growth.

At this month’s Rose Hill Board of Commissioners meeting, engineer David Honeycutt from McGill Associates, a firm hired to assess the town’s sewer system, told the board that while the town is in better shape than most, he still would rate the overall condition of its sewer system as “fair.” He said the area’s sewage system issues are far from just a local issue.

“Our nation is experiencing a crisis of infrastructure,” one of Honeycutt’s slides revealed in his presentation. It added that a 2025 assessment by the American Society of Civil Engineers rated U.S. infrastructure overall at “C,” with wastewater systems receiving a grade of “D+.”

Honeycutt revealed that Rose Hill currently has 25,000 feet of clay pipe that was installed in the early 1980s and is past its useful life, meaning the replacement of that aging pipe, as well as some outdated manholes, will eventually need to be addressed.

Nearby Teachey is also dealing with increased costs of maintaining its sewage system. The cost of maintenance last year exceeded the budget by 100%. The town is in the process of implementing water and sewer rate increases on an annual basis to prevent townspeople from having a huge increase all at once. The town board voted earlier this month to lend the water and sewer budget $55,700 from the general fund to cover maintenance cost overruns.

Ann White from the N.C. League of Municipalities told the board the loan is not an ideal fix and that the income from providing water and sewer services to the town should cover the costs. She estimates it would take a 17.5% increase in the base rates just to cover last fiscal year’s losses from maintenance costs, and that does not cover any unexpected future issues with the system.

One of the most fortunate communities when it comes to wastewater treatment is Wallace. That’s because it inherited a sewage treatment facility built by J.P. Stevens. When Stevens closed the textile plant, the company gave the treatment plant to the town of Wallace. While that was a great benefit to the town, it does not negate Wallace from being faced with infrastructure issues in the future.

No one can predict the future, but considering the age of the area’s water and sewer infrastructure, the time will come when the piper has to be paid to repair and upgrade the systems. It will be hard to do that without rate increases that will affect the pocketbooks of people already struggling with rising costs.

Wastewater woes highlight infrastructure needs across Duplin

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