Construction Mixup Likely Cause of Cary Water Woes

Water-meter lids that got switched during construction might be to blame for four Cary homes receiving treated wastewater instead of clean drinking water.

Assistant Town Manager Ben Shivar said town officials think someone accidentally switched heavy iron lids that cap water lines to the homes in the Weston Oaks subdivision.

Workers began resampling the water at all new homes in the reclaimed water district of Cary after finding on July 23 that the lines for reclaimed and potable water had been switched at two homes.

On Wednesday, the town shut down its reclaimed water system after discovering two more houses where the reclaimed water came out of the faucets.

Shivar said the town is changing procedures and adding new safeguards to help prevent the mistake from happening again.

"Once the meters are installed, we will actually test the water and run it to make sure the meters are connected to the proper lines," he said.

That means every new home built in Cary with an automatic sprinkler system in that reclaimed water district, will have the water tested before people move in, something that wasn't done in the past.

Shivar said he plans to work with the Town Council on a plan to more clearly identify lines rather than just using lids.