Sewer work progress may end building ban in county

The building ban in New Hanover County may soon be history.

The city of Wilmington announced Monday it finished $6 million in emergency repairs to the Northeast Interceptor, a 9-mile sewer main that crosses from Wrightsville Beach to near the Cape Fear River.

Now city officials are looking for the state to lift a ban on new hookups to the pipeline. Last year, the N.C. Division of Water Quality capped new flows to the line after growing frustrated with the local response to spills that leaked millions of gallons of sewage into area waterways.

As a result, developers in much of northern New Hanover County, including downtown Wilmington, have been unable to get building permits for months - in some areas since last spring. The New Hanover County Inspections Department has a list of nearly 120 projects awaiting a resolution of the situation.

But with "substantial completion" of repairs, the ban should soon end. City Manager Sterling Cheatham sent a letter Friday requesting that state regulators lift the limits.

"I can hear champagne corks popping," Donna Girardot, executive director of the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association, said after reading Cheatham's letter. "There have been a lot of people waiting a long time to hear these words."

Builders have had their hopes lifted before as the city announced, then postponed, completion dates, she said. The move will also benefit subcontractors such as plumbers and electricians, she said.

Ed Beck, the division of water quality's regional supervisor, did not return calls Monday. But he has previously indicated it could take about a week to verify repairs and lift the moratorium.

Still, Jay Graham, the head of inspections for New Hanover County, said he didn't expect a deluge of permit applications. Despite the building ban, he hasn't talked to a lot of frustrated developers, he said. The timing of the ban may have protected some from over-extending themselves in a slow economy, he said.

"If you're going to have a moratorium, this is a good year to have it," developer Joel Tomaselli said, making a similar point. "For some folks this has been a blessing in disguise. For others it's been very difficult."

Downtown developer Dave Spetrino said he was thrilled by the news - the ban has hurt his plans to build hundreds of town homes and condos on the Cape Fear River near the Isabel Holmes Bridge. The project is about a year behind because of the sewer problems, he said.

Some residents are now hoping for a speedy cleanup. Months of work off Greenville Loop Road have slowed traffic and turned the road's shoulder into a construction site, said Ed Brex, a semi-retired pilot who lives nearby. "My biggest concern is how they're going to clean up this mess," he said.

City officials said equipment removal, reseeding grass and road repairs will continue through at least the end of the month.

Work continues on the interceptor. Later this week, crews are scheduled to close part of 17th Street near Independence Boulevard for repairs to anther substandard section of the force main. The work, however, does not affect the state's ban.

Sam Scott: 343-2370

sam.scott@starnewsonline.com