Rising water bills, wastewater restrictions take center stage in Mount Olive

MOUNT OLIVE — The main issue discussed at Monday evening’s board of commissioners meeting in Mount Olive boiled down to one word – water. The cost of water, its treatment, and dealing with the large amounts of it falling from the sky were all addressed during the meeting.

An increase in water and sewer bills was raised during the public forum. Resident Kathy Turner of Main Street told commissioners she had been trying to get a resolution to a drastic increase in her water and sewer bill for some time.

“My water bill went from $64.72 to $122.50,” Turner said. “That’s a gain of $57.78. I’ve been to the water department several times… Nobody has helped.”

Turner had a printout of her water bills for over a year. She said the highest bill prior to her current one was $88.39, with the average being around $62.

“It’s not my fault the water meters are not working,” Turner added. “I’d like for it to be adjusted.”

The commissioners did not address Turner’s remarks during the public forum, but the subject came up during the town manager’s report. Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland told Turner he would be contacting her about her bill.

During closing remarks, Commissioner Delreese Simmons said that all bills were going up due to a recent increase in water and sewer bills amounting to 8% for each service, meaning water and sewer bills total increases amount to 16%.

Simmons suggested some of the rapid increases could be attributed to errors by the town.

“For the past two years, the rate has not been put into the system correctly,” Simmons said. “That means some bills may go up higher than 16%. Once that’s corrected, everybody’s water bill will go up.”

Holland confirmed an issue regarding the system had been discovered.

“It was not put into the system correctly,” Holland said. “We are working to find out exactly how much.”

Water and sewer bills are just one of the challenges facing Mount Olive when it comes to providing water and sewer services to the town. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has placed specific restrictions on just how much wastewater can be run through the system.

The department issued a special order of consent to the town in April, stating the town was exceeding its flow rates through the wastewater treatment facility, which affects how much treated wastewater is being discharged into the Northeast Cape Fear River.

The special order of consent states, “Noncompliance with final effluent limitations constitutes causing and contributing to pollution of the waters of this state.”

The state has placed a moratorium on the amount of wastewater that can be discharged through the town’s treatment system. The moratorium prohibits the town from offering water and sewage services to some new businesses in the area.

Making matters even more challenging is the increase in drainage issues because of the recent heavy rains. This causes debris to accumulate in drainage ditches, which places an even greater load on the existing wastewater infrastructure, Holland explained to Duplin Journal.

One way the town hopes to deal with the debris is with the purchase of a Schwarze 2020 A4 Storm System. The board approved the purchase of the used unit at a cost of $225,000 during Monday’s meeting.

Jordan Conley, Mount Olive utilities director made a presentation to the board showing a video of the unit at work. While the unit resembles a street sweeper, it is substantially more complex, with special parts that clean debris from the road and vacuum additional debris from drains and ditches.

In addition to the current restrictions on wastewater treatment outlined in the state agreement, it also lists many inspections and repairs that will be required in the near future.

In other business, the town issued certificates of appreciation to several of the town’s police officers and employees, including Chief of Police Jason Hughes. The commissioners also approved a proclamation honoring resident Danny King for his dedication and contributions to the community.

The next town board meeting will take place on July 28.