Utility construction sparks worries about live oak tree damage on Salisbury Street
NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — Years old live oak trees line Salisbury Street on both sides of Harbor Island.
Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has begun trenching, starting on Eastwood, across Trask bridge, and onto Salisbury Street to place a new water main.
Local resident, Laura Lunsford, expressed concern that the town’s treasured oak trees could be damaged by the utility’s digging.
“There’s a sewer project going on, and we all understand the need for improved infrastructure, but it doesn’t need to happen with carelessness,” said Lunsford.
Lunsford thought construction crews were careless while excavating for the Galleria project, where several live oaks were cut down.
A silt fence has been constructed about two feet away from the trunks of several trees, and Lunsford believes that digging that close to them will damage their roots.
“There’s been trenching in the main root zone of live oak trees; their roots are very shallow and about a third to a half of the root zone has been killed,” said Lunsford.
WWAY spoke to the Town of Wrightsville Beach, claiming ‘The Town is meeting with CFPUA this week to continue discussing and monitoring the protection of the trees and an arborist will be evaluating the trees’ condition.’”
Meanwhile, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority told WWAY that so far ‘Crews have completed some digging for a jack-and bore under Salisbury Street,’ which allows for digging under a roadway without disturbing or closing the road.
Arborist and former nursery owner, David Jordan, says that the silt fencing should not affect the trees.
“I wouldn’t think the silt fence is, you know, I wouldn’t think they cut through major roots to get something as small as a silt fence in. I would assume the silt fence has to be, you know, off from where they’re planning on installing the pipe,” said Jordan.
Jordan says that construction crews should consider the trees’ root systems before laying pipes.
“These trees are irreplaceable and that they need to be flexible in that regard; just people using good judgment,” said Jordan.
