T. J. ROYAL
As construction wraps up on the final phase of Edgecombe County's Water District 5 this summer, so too will the last section of the countywide water system begin.
Water District 5, which includes the former Leggett water and sewer system, as well as and the surrounding water customers from Whitakers to Battleboro, and east to just north of Tarboro, is scheduled to be completed in July, said Edgecombe County Water and Sewer Director Mike Matthews.
The work that remains in District 5 is the installation of wireless water meter readers at mobile home parks on N.C. 33 and West Logsboro Road, as well as at individual lots within The Meadows subdivision, Matthews said. The new meters will allow county Water and Sewer workers to read water usage at District 5 residences without getting out of their vehicles, from up to a mile away from the residence, Matthews said.
The new meters will allow the county workers to get their job done within "two hours" for the whole district, as opposed to the four days it used to take to check each individual meter, he added.
Almost all of the main water lines for the district have been laid out, Matthews said, with some remaining to placed on West Logsboro Road. Although the district is almost complete, residents can still sign up for a county water connection for $500, and after it's completed in July at an $875 fee.
At their March meeting, the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners voted to keep the cost at $500 for new customers through July 23, instead of an increase to $875 as was scheduled. Commissioner Vice-Chairman Charlie Harrell noted that keeping the $500 cost would mean the county would lose money for every tap installed.
Right now, all residents within District 4 can sign up for county water with a $200 connection fee. District includes the part of the county north of Conetoe and up to the Halifax and Martin County lines.
Speed's water system will become part of Water District 4, while Conetoe's will remain separate.
Because of it being funded faster, Matthews said that the second phase of Water District 4's construction will be the first one to begin. The bidding process for the second phase will begin "in July or August," with its construction likely beginning a month later, Matthews said.
Along with replacing lines along several roadways, the first and second phases will both tie the Speed water system into the existing lines in Water District 3. "Both of them are pretty much serving the same purpose," Matthews said.
The second phase will grant county water running along parts of Howell, Coakley, Mooring, Roberson School and Cherry Hill Church Roads. The line will connect from U.S. 258 to Howell Road, and end up connecting into the Speed water system from N.C. 122.
The first phase, which will begin construction likely in January, will connect all of Dail Loop Road, and parts of Fishing Creek, Batts Chapel, Summer Acre, Kilquick and Cutchin Farm roads, along with U.S. 258 in Lawrence, ending a quarter-mile past Kilquick Road. The first phase will tie into Speed's water system from Kilquick Road.
The third phase will replace all the water lines within the town limits of speed, installing new hydrants and also extending water lines out into remaining areas that want water, Matthews said. "Once Phase 3 comes into effect, we'll pick up everything else," he added.
The construction of the first and second phases will likely take "six to eight months" each, he said, with the final phase likely taking around a year to complete, likely ending in early 2011.
Although they won't be part of the county's water system, Matthews said that the systems in Tarboro, Rocky Mount, Pinetops, Macclesfield and Conetoe will be connected to Edgecombe County's. That's in case the county needs assistance providing water to its customers, or if any one of the five municipalities could use assistance themselves, Matthews said.
As of April, the county has 3,933 water customers. There are 638 signed up in District 5, with seven signed up in District 4.
The total value for the county's water system so far stands at more than $42.39 million. Around 60 percent of the total for the water system has come in grants, around $25.5 million in total. Only $1.6 million has been used in local funds so far for the three completed districts, District 5 and the beginning of District 4. The county does have more than $15.3 million in loans in the system, most all at low interest rates.
