Funding Project

North Topsail Beach Water Main Replacement

Topsail Beach, NC

The Town of North Topsail Beach was served by a 10-inch ductile iron water main suspended from the high-rise bridge of NC Highway 210 crossing the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Constructed in 1980, the water main was experiencing problematic conditions with corrosion of the pipe and the pipe hangar materials. A substantial failure of the water line presented a likely and significant risk to ONWASA and customers in North Topsail Beach.

Consequences of such an untimely failure could result in significant loss of revenue, frustrated property owners and vacationers, and direct discharge of chlorinated water to shell fish waters resulting in violations and potential fines.

Project Details

WK Dickson was engaged to remove the existing water main suspended from the bridge and to design and oversee a replacement. Before undertaking design of the new water main, our team determined the feasibility of the construction area limits and access due to the potential environmentally sensitive areas near the bridge. Our team conducted wetland delineation, surveying, and geotechnical evaluation of the construction areas to ensure site suitability. Construction included 2,800 LF of 12-inch water main constructed by open cut excavation and directional drill under the AIWW on the east side.

WK Dickson assisted ONWASA with acquiring a $50,000 Drinking Water Technical Assistance Grant from the NC State Water Infrastructure Authority to evaluate the condition of the original water main. Our engineers coordinated closely with NCDOT and regulatory agencies prior to design to identify the best possible location for construction staging in order to minimize impacts to traffic on NC Highway 210, as well as the sensitive coastal wetlands surrounding the bridge.