Gates County leaders press contractors, NCDOT after repeated water-line cuts during fiber work

Gates County officials and residents told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that recent fiber‑optic construction by commercial internet providers has damaged private water lines and caused widespread outages, and county leaders said they are pressing state highway officials and contractors for answers.

During public comment, Sunbury resident Erna Bridal said Spectrum and other contractors have “cut water lines, terrible, several times,” and that subcontractors were not notifying the North Carolina Department of Transportation before working in DOT rights of way. Bridal said he had shared photos and contact information for Spectrum leadership and had been in regular contact with county staff.

Sheriff Curtis Campbell told the board the problem has been “getting really, really bad in the last 3 weeks.” He said the county’s water department had reported “10 to 12 cut lines,” including some on mains, and urged fines and contract consequences. “They should have to pay for every water line that they have that they cut,” Campbell said. “This should be a fine. They should be looking at some pretty heavy fines.”

County Manager Scott Sauer said he has raised the issue with NCDOT district and division offices and asked DOT staff to increase site visits. Sauer told the board DOT staff initially reported they had seen no incidents in the county but agreed to provide the county with names of the permitted subcontractors so the county can pursue cost recovery: “They said their reports they get weekly from these guys were that there had been no incidents… I asked, can you please drive out there right now and start coming daily if necessary?” Sauer said.

Commissioner Dave Forsyth and others said county crews are spending long hours repairing breaks and that residents remain inconvenienced. Forsyth described additional property damage beyond water lines—phone lines and yards cut by construction equipment—and warned the county may be seeing only the “tip of the iceberg.”

Speakers identified contractors including Spectrum/Charter and Brightspeed; callers and presenters said Spectrum had received federal ARPA-related funding for deployments. County and resident speakers described a mix of federal funding programs (ARPA, BEAD was mentioned colloquially) in reference to the larger broadband push, and said some contracts or funding deadlines were driving fast-paced construction.

Sauer said the county will seek records identifying the specific subcontractors working in Gates County so officials can seek reimbursement for repair costs and ask DOT to stop problem contractors from returning. County staff and the sheriff asked residents to report incidents; no new county ordinance or fine schedule was adopted on Tuesday.

The board asked staff to continue documenting incidents, coordinate with NCDOT, and return with next steps. Commissioners and staff thanked the water department and volunteer crews for the overtime response while county leaders pursue enforcement and recovery options.

Ending

County officials said they expect further follow-up from NCDOT once DOT field staff review the documentation and subcontractor lists the county requested. Residents who experience service interruptions were encouraged to report them to county staff so the county can build a record for potential cost recovery.