08-13-06: $34 Million for 'Lemon Aid'

Wilmington Star-News
Published: August 13, 2006
By Patrick Gannon, Staff Writer

$34 million for 'lemon aid'
That's the estimated cost to fix Northeast Interceptor sewer line

The Northeast Interceptor might be a lemon, but it's fixable. To decrease the likelihood of spills from the 9-mile sewer line, New Hanover County governments should spend as much as $34 million over four years to improve the system, according to recommendations in a preliminary consultant's report.

Kimley-Horn and Associates recommends replacement or rehabilitation of sections of weak, corroded pipes, and construction of a second sewer line parallel to the existing interceptor.

A second line from the Bradley Creek pump station to the Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant on River Road would account for the majority of the cost. It would help meet future capacity demands and give the city an option for diverting wastewater flow during repairs or spills.

Work suggested in the six-month, $462,000 study also includes upgrades to overworked pump stations near Bradley and Hewletts creeks, among other structural improvements.

The cost estimate - which ranges from about $26 million to $34 million, depending on what specific work the city chooses to do - doesn't include operational changes recommended by Kimley-Horn, including changing the chemicals used to reduce odor and adequately maintaining easements above the line.

The Northeast Interceptor is nearly inaccessible in some areas because of vegetation, swampy conditions or other obstacles, making it difficult to detect or reach spills or other problems.

The price tag also doesn't include the cost of anticipated recommendations by the company evaluating Wilmington's entire sewer system through a separate $1 million city contract.

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said he anticipated the repairs would be costly but that the City Council is committed to making them, even if it means postponing other planned capital projects to make room.

"I think for our environment and our health, I don't think there's any way we can't," the mayor said.

Mike Giles, Cape Fear Coastkeeper with the environmental watchdog N.C. Coastal Federation, said the city should take its commitment a step further and enter an agreement with the N.C. Division of Water Quality to ensure the repairs are made on a specific timetable, with penalties for noncompliance.

"I think the city needs to be held accountable for this work," Giles said.

He also urged the city to allocate money to maintain the improved system and create a citizen advisory panel to monitor progress on the interceptor and other sewer issues. A citizen group has been suggested a number of times, but the city hasn't obliged.

City officials said the cost would likely be shared by New Hanover County, Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, the co-owners of the interceptor, which serves the entire beach town and parts of the county and city. Details of the financing haven't been worked out but will be discussed soon, Saffo said.

Residents will pay for it, possibly through increased sewer rates. The city already has more than $9 million in its sewer fund for Northeast Interceptor repairs during the next two years.

The interceptor was designed by Henry Von Oesen and Associates between 1977 and 1981, according to the report. T.A. Loving Co. built the pipeline; Hall Contracting built the pump stations.

Sewage began flowing through it in September 1983, and six years later, severe corrosion problems began to surface. Roughly two decades and several large sewer spills later, corrosion continues to be a major source of interceptor problems. Kimley-Horn consultants said gases trapped in the pipes due to non-working or misplaced air-release valves has contributed to the corrosion. The study also recommends replacement of the valves. Failure of a pipe liner also led to some problems.

The problems led to spills. The spills - and the public concern that accompanied them - prompted the City Council to fund the evaluation of the 23-year-old system, which carries more than 4 million gallons of sewage a day to a treatment plant off River Road, where the cleaned water is released to the Cape Fear River.

Most spills were caused by corrosion or failed repair clamps or couplings, according to the report.

In mid September, corrosion in a force main off Shipyard Boulevard caused an estimated 750,000 gallons to flow into Hewletts Creek. At least 60,000 gallons of sewage reached the creek in February after a leak caused when a previous pipe repair failed.

"These most recent spills were an indication that the past problems were resurfacing and further investigation was necessary to head off future spills," the report states.

Repairs to the segment of corroded pipe on Shipyard Boulevard, which will cost about $900,000, are under way. Raleigh-based Kimley-Horn also found bad segments on Greenville Loop Road near Shinnwood Road, which will be replaced soon.

The consultants said scrapping the interceptor and building a new sewer line was batted around but quickly discarded as an option. The parallel line will provide redundancy and a new system would cost substantially more, although a cost estimate wasn't done, said Kimley-Horn's Chris Ford.

"Primarily, it's in sufficient condition to continue to use it," he said. "It doesn't make any sense to abandon it and start from scratch."

Patrick Gannon: 343-2328
patrick.gannon@starnewsonline.com