‘From the beginning.’ Mooresville leaders address massive sinkhole repair plans
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Mooresville town leaders said Thursday they plan to purchase property surrounding a 40-foot-wide sinkhole.
They said a poorly installed pipe is responsible for creating a crater that allowed coal ash to contaminate a stream and flow into Lake Norman.
The sinkhole opened up in front of the former Tire Masters store at 190 W. Plaza Drive (N.C. 150). Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney said the owner, Christopher Medford, is not to blame for the sinkhole.
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“The Medfords were in no way responsible,” Carney said. “This was done by a third party, way before they owned the property, and they were just another one of the victims of faulty installation.”
Carney said the town has served a letter of intent to purchase the property from Medford. He said Mooresville must own the land if they want to use state or federal dollars and agencies to clean up the site.
Who’s at fault for the sinkhole?
Town officials said they have been looking for solutions to the issue for years. They explained during a media briefing that the town’s attorney worked alongside environmental attorneys to find a legal way to move forward since there have been multiple lawsuits concerning the sinkhole.
The town did not install, inspect or maintain the pipe. Carney said it became a town issue when they discovered the stream below it had been contaminated with coal ash, which is sometimes used as a filler when installing pipes.
“This has had our full attention as a board,” he said.
Carney said the board has received a “significant” grant from the state and it applied for several others. He did not disclose the amount the town plans to spend but said he is confident grant money will be able to cover the entire cost of the purchase and subsequent repairs.
Real estate records show the nearly 1-acre property is valued at $855,380 as of January 2024.
Some of the first steps of the repair work will begin with replacing the pipe and bringing in clean, uncontaminated dirt. Leaders aim to start the project in May, with an anticipated completion date in the fall.
The town will be working with Duke Energy. Company leaders have accepted the responsibility of cleaning up the stream. They have submitted paperwork to the state to begin that process.
Independent labs will be used to test the water quality. Town leaders said they still do not yet know how much coal ash flowed into the stream or Lake Norman. Testing will happen at the site of the sinkhole and where the tributary empties into the lake.
“Our promise is that we will not stop until the quality of that stream is back to its original integrity,” said Carney.
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Carney said the drinking water supply has been tested and researchers determined the supply was not impacted by the sinkhole.
North Carolina Department of Transportation officials are working on expanding Highway 150. Carney said they will coordinate with city crews during the repairs.
“We’re at a place now where we can actually move forward with a plan and let you guys know what that plan is,” Carney said.
Leaders have not yet announced what they plan to do with the property once the repairs are completed.
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