Apex Man's Well Water Stuck in Transportation Planning Limbo

APEX, N.C. — Road testing for what could be an extension to Interstate 540 has put an Apex man and his family on bottled water.

Carey Hunter said the land his house and family cemetery are on has been in his family since the 1700s. However, that land lies in the path of the proposed route for the interstate.

Hunter said that if and when the roadway comes, he will lose a lot, but his most immediate problem is his water.

In April, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority dug test borings to check the soil's worthiness as a roadbed.

"When I came home from work, the water out of the spigot was like chocolate milk," Hunter said. "So, I went to call them, and nobody wanted to accept blame."

The Turnpike Authority said contractors drilled into Hunter's well with their test borings, clouding the water.

A representative with the North Carolina Turnpike Authority said the agency is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation's geotechnical office to try to fix Hunter's well. It has provided him with bottled water in the meantime.

"They've been working with me, but it's a very, very slow process – months and months – and there's not an end in sight that I can see," Hunter said.

Hunter said he also is concerned about the Triangle Transit Authority's commuter rail project. That project would place a rail station on his property.

But, like I-540's extension, the commuter rail isn't definite, and that leaves Hunter unsure about the future.