Bring in the port-a-potties: More than 150 homes without sewer service in Moyock
Repairs underway; unclear when job will be finished
MOYOCK, N.C. — Residents of nearly 200 homes in an affluent Moyock subdivision have been forced to use portable bathrooms placed throughout their neighborhood because their sewer system backed up into their drains and toilets.
Portable shower and laundry trailers for the residents also have been installed at a middle school near the Eagle Creek subdivision, thanks for a charitable organization.
Suffice it to say, residents aren’t happy. It’s an “insult” to live in a $300,000 home and have to use an outdoor portable bathroom, Eagle Creek resident James Hutson said.
Repairs are underway, but it’s unclear when they will be finished, according to a Currituck County release.
Residents spoke out at Monday’s board of commissioners meeting — about a week after the problems began. But the county does not have responsibility for the system, which is privately owned by Sandler Utilities and managed by Envirolink, Inc.
Eagle Creek is one of the largest developments in Currituck County with more than 400 homes.
“People want Sandler Utilities to step in and update the system like they said they would years ago,” Hutson said. “This event is by no means an anomaly. This has happened several
times in the past.”
Residents hope the county will pressure the company to make improvements. The system’s vacuum pumps are malf unctioning, c a usi ng wastewater to back up in at least 183 homes as of Wednesday, the release said.
Meanwhile, residents are using water sparingly, Hutson said.
“The first floor of many homes have severe water damage, requiring replacement of flooring, base boards, and sections of dry wall,” he said.
Local developer Justin Old, who has no financial connection to the subdivision but has friends there, brought in 12 portable bathrooms, he confirmed
Thursday.
Residents contacted North Carolina Baptists on a Mission which agreed to place a six-stall shower trailer and an eight-unit laundry trailer at nearby Moyock Middle School, Hutson said.
Volunteers will clean and disinfect the facilities after each use.
Currituck County is supplying the water to operate the shower and laundry with plans to seek reimbursement from Sandler Utilities, the release said. The North Carolina Division of Emergency Management has approved the plan.
The Currituck YMCA — about 15 miles away in Maple — also agreed to let Eagle Creek residents use
restrooms and showers there.
The county Soil and Water Conservation District is monitoring drainage ditches in Eagle Creek and the surrounding area for the presence of contaminants. No problems had been reported as of Wednesday, the release said.
Eagle Creek residents can contact the Envirolink Inc. customer service department at 888-754-9878. A call to Envirolink was not immediately returned. A contact number for Sandler Utilities was not readily available.