EDITOR’S NOTE: Information on how to tap onto the new waterline at a discounted rate is included at the end of this article.
ROCKINGHAM — Some residents in the Wolf Pit area are feeling left out by the county after learning they wouldn’t be able to receive county water from the Old Cheraw water line extension, arguing that the project shows preference to chicken houses for county water rather than serving regular citizens.
But the county maintains that the chicken houses had nothing to do with the waterline’s location.
Residents in this area have experienced some of the most difficulty with their wells in the county and have been petitioning for county water service for about 20 years. The county last year received a $1.7 million USDA loan for the project and in December began construction on 40,000 linear feet of new water line, which extends down Old Cheraw Highway, onto U.S. 1 South after the two roads’ intersection and down Osborne Road.
“(The waterline) is coming to certain areas and bypassing others,” said Preston Waddell, chairperson of the Wolf Pit #4 precinct. Waddell’s church, Greater Diggs Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, happens to be on the path of the waterline and will tap on when service begins. “A lot of people have problems with their water … We’re concerned about the other citizens of the county.”
Waddell questioned why the waterline extension appears to center around the chicken houses in the area, calling it “ironic” that the project would start there when residents are having to test their water as many as five times throughout the year.
Debra Morman, finance secretary for Greater Diggs, expressed frustration with not being able to tap on when she is only 2,000 feet from the waterline. Her household has not drunk the water from their well since 2008 when it tested positive for E. coli, and wants county water to end her family’s struggles with wells.
“Nothing against poultry farmers,” Morman said, “but these families were here before the poultry farmers moved in.”
Waddell and Morman are part of a Wolf Pit #4 community petition signed by about 500 residents asking for the county to provide county water to the residents in the area. Waddell estimated that there were about 150 people in need of county water.
Public Works Director Jerry Austin said there were four poultry farms in the Wolf Pit area, but that the existence of chicken houses “did not dictate” the waterline’s location.
“(The petitioners) are reading something improper” into the waterline, Austin said, but it “just so happens chicken houses are in the area.”
Austin explained that there are benefits to having chicken houses tapped into a line. These facilities use a high volume of water, which will help ensure that the water in the line — shared by all customers — does not stagnate, which can cause bacteria to form.
“It’s nice to have a high user at the end of the (waterline),” Austin said. He later continued, “Adding this section of waterline will allow us in the future to continue expanding (county water service).”
Commissioner Don Bryant, who has been doing irrigation work since 1978 and campaigned on the “theory of water” last year, said that residents would “pretty much have to live on the road” where the waterline is being put in order to be able to tap on without additional fees, though senior citizens may be able to receive financial assistance.
Austin said that in order to extend a 6-inch waterline to a home further from the main line, it would cost about $50 per foot of waterline with all the fees associated with it. So, to extend a waterline 2,000 feet for Morman, for example, Austin estimated it would cost roughly $100,000.
The responsibilities for a homeowner when applying for a waterline extension are outlined in Section 10-3 of the Richmond County Water Regulations. The regulations read: “The petitioners are responsible for all costs associated with installing waterlines, including materials, construction, and applicable tap fees, to serve the lots within the requested service area.”
This section of the county policy also stipulates that the county cannot extend the waterline to an area where there are so few customers that it would take the county longer than 10 years to pay back the loan required to extend service.
On the state of the Wolf Pit area’s water, Bryant said the area is “very dry” — though not lately — and that there are areas where wells are as much as 600 feet deep and still don’t produce well.
“They (county leadership) knew a long time ago this was a problem area but it was too expensive because of one creek,” Bryant said, referring to Solomon’s Creek (according to Google Maps), which is just north of Greater Diggs A.M.E. Zion Church. The creek makes construction more difficult. “(This waterline) is a big enough system that we could branch it out, that’s no problem, it just has to be worthwhile to the county.”
Discounted rate to tap on to the waterline
Any property owner shown along the waterline in the map above will be eligible to receive a $500 tap discount. The tap application will have to be submitted and any associated fees will have to be paid within 90 days of completion of the waterline. Richmond County will notify residents when this period begins.
Contact Richmond County Public Works at 910-997-8338 or email Director Jerry Austin at [email protected] to inquire about accessing county water.
This map shows the properties eligible for the $500 tap discount. Residents must contact the Richmond County Public Works within 90 days of the waterline’s completion to receive the discounted rate.