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Residents press Swepsonville to fix damaged culvert and probe dam, quarry safety after nearby development
Summary
During public comment, residents told the council heavy equipment from a nearby developer (Desco) collapsed a culvert that causes flooding on a gravel access road to the pump station, asked the town to formalize a maintenance easement, and raised safety concerns about an old quarry and earthen dam; the council agreed to have the town attorney research recorded easements and follow up with the developer and state contacts.
Several residents used the meeting’s public comment period to press the Swepsonville council for action on drainage and public‑safety problems they link to a nearby residential development.
“Martha Benke said the town has long operated under a 'gentleman’s' agreement to maintain the gravel road to the pump station and asked the council to formalize that arrangement so neighbors no longer rely on informal or past administrations,” a resident said during public comment. Her neighbor, identified in the meeting as Keith Hoyt, presented photos and said heavy equipment brought in for the development caused a culvert to fail and allowed washouts onto the road.
Residents said they had contacted the developer (Desco) and that the developer previously sent a worker who installed a temporary diversion after last summer’s rains, but that the long‑term problem remains. The council heard that the area flooded during a heavy event in July and that erosion and washed‑out culvert material persist.
Dam and quarry concerns: Commenters also raised separate safety and environmental concerns at an old quarry on or near the development parcel. They reported broken glass, sharp metal and stored industrial materials near the water, and warned that trees growing on an earthen dam could weaken it. One resident said they had contacted the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in prior years about the dam; county mapping shown to the council indicated the maintenance shed is listed to the developer while the parcel that appears to include the dam is recorded to the Quarry Hills Community Association.
Town response and next steps: The council chair told residents the town would research recorded easements and asked the town attorney to review access rights to the pump station to ensure the town has necessary maintenance access. Staff said they would provide contact information for DEQ and follow up with developer communications so the conversations are documented. No enforcement action or formal remedies were announced at the meeting.
Why it matters: If the culvert or pump‑station access is not repaired, residents said routine maintenance and emergency access could be compromised. The dam and quarry concerns raise potential public‑safety and environmental risks that residents urged the town and relevant state agencies to investigate.
