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Charlotte Water to pay change order after leaking raw-water main found under I‑85; council questions minority contracting goals
Summary
City Council approved an amendment to a Charlotte Water pipeline contract after crews found a leaking 1911 cast-iron raw-water main under I‑85. Councilmembers asked why partner jurisdictions were not contributing and pressed staff on minority and small-business participation goals as the contract value grew.
The Charlotte City Council approved a change order and contract amendment on April 28 for work to repair and replace a raw‑water pipeline between the Beatty's Ford and Franklin plants after crews discovered a leak beneath Interstate 85.
Nut Graf: City Water officials said the work began as a planned pipeline installation between treatment facilities and became an urgent repair when an older cast‑iron main was found leaking beneath the interstate. Council members praised the quick action but pressed staff on contracting goals and whether partner jurisdictions that share the infrastructure had contributed to costs.
What staff told council Deputy Director Ron Hargrove of Charlotte Water explained the sequence of events: during the pipeline installation under I‑85 a sleeve was placed and during exploratory work crews found leakage at both sides of the interstate. "We realized one of our raw water pipelines was leaking, and it was leaking under I‑85," Hargrove said. He described visible pavement depressions and ice events related to the loss of support under the roadway and said crews slid a new main through the sleeve to avoid an emergency replacement.
Council questions Councilmember LaWanna Mayfield pressed staff about minority business enterprise (MBE) participation: the original contract had a participation goal of 28% but a low minority business enterprise goal (2%?) and an 8% goal for another category; Mayfield said the contract’s base dollar value of about $11 million had risen to more than $15 million with the amendment and asked why participation goals remained unchanged. "We're being asked tonight to approve over $4,000,000," she said, asking whether the increased scope provided an opportunity to expand subcontracting with local minority‑owned firms.
City Manager and staff said the repair work was undertaken to avoid an emergency, and that some added scope — such as pavement restoration required by NCDOT — would be reviewed for non‑urgent scopes where additional outreach could be done. Charlotte Water director Angela Charles and deputy Ron Hargrove said the added work focused on public safety and preventing a full emergency failure.
Action and next steps Council approved the change order and contract amendment on the consent/action review portion of the agenda. Staff said the work was time critical and that they would review opportunities to increase local and minority participation for future non‑emergency additions to project scope.
Clarifying details Staff described the failed pipeline as a 1911 cast‑iron main and said crews used an existing sleeve under I‑85 to slide a replacement main into place. Work also includes pavement repairs required by NCDOT at the I‑85 crossing. Council asked staff to report back on whether partner jurisdictions such as Pineville contributed funds to projects that cross municipal boundaries.
Public record and oversight Council members asked for clearer public reporting on partner contributions when regional partners are involved in projects that affect multiple jurisdictions. Staff committed to bring more detail about joint‑partner contributions in future project reporting.
