Utility Fields ‘Multiple Death Threats' Over Sewer Line Project

A North Carolina utility is facing an unusual challenge from some ratepayers: death threats.

“That’s how ugly things have gotten for some customers of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA),” a utility based in Wilmington, NC, WECT reported. Mike McGill, a spokesman for CFPUA, said the organization “had to hire a sheriff’s deputy for the last big meeting we had because of threats.”

A single controversial policy appears to be the subject the disturbing messages from ratepayers.

“CFPUA recently installed water and sewer lines at the request of some of New Hanover County’s Heritage Park residents. But not everyone wanted the lines, which is why some Heritage Park customers are irate they are now being forced to pay thousands of dollars to hook onto the public water and sewer system,” the report said.

McGill said CFPUA has received “multiple death threats” as a result of this projects. But CFPUA officials say that overall, threatening language is rare.

“We do manage approximately 67,000 customer accounts and at any given time, there may be a few customers who are upset with the authority and occasionally there are customers who become agitated to the point where they are acting in a way that makes staff uncomfortable (i.e. hostile attitude/posturing vs. communicating actual threats),” CFPUA Board Chairman Mike Brown told WECT.

“It is rare that we have a customer who becomes agitated or lets their emotions get the best of them, so I would be careful not to paint this as a ‘problem’ or a typical occurrence,” he said.

The utility has a security guard in the office lobby, which is helpful when customers behave inappropriately.

“We want to equip our staff with the proper training, protections, and resources, to make sure that these situations don’t have the opportunity to escalate to a point where the employee is put in danger,” Brown explained.

Last year, hundreds of homeowners received letters from CFPUA “telling them their houses are within 500 feet of existing water or sewer mains, meaning they have no choice, because of CFPUA policy, but to connect to the mains at their cost,” Star News Online reported.

For some customers, that means shelling out $6,000, according to the report. The utility has offered financing options so customers could spread out the costs over time.

The utility decided in June to keep rates steady this year, a feat that many providers, facing cost pressures, were unable to accomplish this year.

“The $75.6 million budget will keep rates at $3.67 per 1,000 gallons of water and $4.56 per 1,000 gallons of sewer usage. The fixed charges will also remain the same at $25.81 per bi-monthly bill for water and $29.10 per bi-monthly bill for sewer,” Star News Online reported.

To read more about how water utilities communicate with ratepayers visit Water Online Consumer Outreach Solutions Center.