Downtown Wilmington’s historic character – from its brick streets to the eclectic mix of period architecture – is a draw for tens of thousands of visitors every year. 

One downtown antique that doesn’t need preserving: old water and sewer infrastructure.

CFPUA has a trio of major downtown projects kicking off this year to rehabilitate and replace critical infrastructure reaching the end of its useful life:

• The Fifth Avenue Water and Sewer Rehabilitation Project;
• The Grace and Chestnut Water and Sewer Rehabilitation Project; and
• The Walnut Street Pump Station Replacement Project. 

The first two projects will replace water and sewer mains, as well as the lines serving individual homes and businesses, that are as much as 90 years old. The final project will replace and expand the Walnut Street Pump Station, in service since the late 1960s, and decommission a separate pump station in an area with high pedestrian traffic. 

Replacing and rehabilitating aging infrastructure is consistently a priority of CFPUA’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). In CFPUA’s 10-year CIP, covering fiscal years 2025 through 2034, more than three out of every four dollars is earmarked for aging infrastructure.

You can read the full CIP on our website. 

Addressing aging infrastructure was one of the reasons leaders from the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County moved to create CFPUA in 2007, particularly failing sewer mains that were the cause of frequent spills across their systems.

In downtown Wilmington – the oldest of CFPUA’s service area – some of the mains running beneath roads like Front Street had been installed over a century prior. During CFPUA’s earliest projects downtown, crews would occasionally unearth a water line constructed from wood. Just two years ago, we located a water valve under Front Street that had been in the ground since at least 1910.

Keeping pace with aging infrastructure is a constant struggle. By the time one round of projects has been completed, many more water and sewer assets may be nearing the ends of their useful lives. CFPUA uses a “risk matrix” that accounts for the likelihood of failure and the consequence of failure to drive infrastructure investment decisions.

Unsurprisingly, downtown and surrounding historic neighborhoods such as Sunset Park, Northside, Carolina Place, and Forest Hills continue to be priorities. 

Since opening our doors, CFPUA has completed several projects to bring downtown’s water and sewer infrastructure into the 21st century. This includes full replacements of water and sewer infrastructure under Front Street and Water Street over the past decade. 

Crews have already started work on the Fifth Avenue project, with construction on Grace and Chestnut commencing soon. The Fifth Avenue project will fully replace water and sewer mains from Greenfield Street to Market Street, and the Grace and Chestnut project will do the same for mains from North Third to North 17th. In addition, crews will replace the water service lines of hundreds of properties in the project areas. 

The Fifth Avenue project, which will be completed over the next two years, is being done in conjunction with our partners at the City of Wilmington, who will replace stormwater utilities, resurface the road, and make streetscape improvements. The Grace and Chestnut project has a smaller scope and is expected to be complete within a year. 

While CFPUA is fully funding the $2.45 million Grace and Chestnut project, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) awarded us $5 million to support the Fifth Avenue project, nearly half of the $10.7 million construction costs.  

Down at the foot of Walnut Street, the third project will fully replace CFPUA’s Pump Station 9 near the Ballast Hotel. DEQ awarded CFPUA a $5.15 million low-interest loan to cover a significant portion of that project’s $6.9 million construction costs. 

Construction will kick off later this year and is expected to be complete in mid-2026.

Thanks to recent sewer upgrades completed on Water Street, CFPUA will also be able to decommission Pump Station 11, located on Market Street in the median between Front and Water streets. This pump station has historically been difficult to service without closing roads or causing disruptions for nearby businesses. Removing it will beautify a top tourist corridor in the heart of downtown.

Occasional road closures and pedestrian detours will be necessary throughout these three projects, but CFPUA and our contractors will continue to work diligently to reduce disruptions and keep customers informed. 

Once complete, our community’s historic core will have improved infrastructure to continue serving customers, supporting businesses, and protecting our environment for the next generation.