CFPUA forces residents to pay thousands for water and sewage

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) -

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority is mandating residents in the Heritage Park community to pay thousands of dollars for a new water and sewer connection.

Some residents in the Heritage Park area have had a problem with their septic tanks and wells but many are furious they're being required to get the new connection.

"It feels like crap. It feels like they're trying to take over what we own, what we've worked all of our lives for," said Heritage Park resident Pearlene Slade.

Slade said she does not have any issues with her septic tank and is upset she is being forced to pay for the new systems.

CFPUA officials estimate that each resident will have to pay an average of $10,000-$12,000 to set up plumbing, connect water lines, sewage and new customer fees. The project is a mandatory connection to ensure funding for infrastructure maintenance and construction.

Slade lives on Carl Seitter Drive and owns a house and another plot of land on that road, which means she is looking at a bill of more than $20,000 for the connection requirement.

"I'm barely making ends meet as it is," Slade commented. "I don't think its right I have to pay to run their lines. Their lines that they get the money from down the street that's none of my business, that's their business."

Slade cannot work and is on a fixed income. She said she doesn't know what she is going to do and may have to move out because she does not have the money.

CFPUA officials said the project is necessary even for residents who don't experience septic problems because the Heritage Park area has had septic tank issues for years. According to CFPUA officials, more than 67 septic tanks have failed since 2000 with expensive repairs to environmental impacts to surface water.

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CFPUA forces residents to pay thousands for water and sewage