The Town of Franklin and engineering firm McGill Associates are looking into what caused a sewer line that crosses the Cullasaja River to break during flash floods last Sunday.

The line just recently was completed and was not yet carrying sewage, saving the town from an environmental hazard. However, the question now is why did this half million dollar project wash down stream and who is going to pay to fix it?

“We’re still investigating,” said Jeff Bishop, McGill’s project administrator manager.

The sewer line was designed primarily to service Macon Middle School, located off Wells Grove Road. It was funded with a $400,000 grant from the N.C. Rural Center, $113,000 from the county school system and $28,000 from county government, said Franklin Town Manager Mike Decker. Of the total budgeted $536,206 cost, approximately $340,000 had been paid out so far.

The line crosses the Cullasaja River next to a bridge leading to the Belleview community and just feet from the normal water level. Last Sunday water levels surged from four feet and about 150 cubic feet per second to 11 feet and more than 2,000 feet per second, according to U.S. Geological Survey streamflow monitoring.

However sewer crossings like this one — called aerial crossings — are supposed to withstand the force of such waters.

“There are sewer lines all over the state that are aerial crossings that when it floods it goes up and over the pipe,” Bishop said.

Aerial crossings typically are cheaper than taking long distance routes around or going under troublesome terrain features. However, Bishop said the firm had “minimal” options when it came to designing the line, as they were bound by cost and gravity. The line is supposed to operate without a pump station and really, sewage only flows downhill, Bishop said.

“If gravity wasn’t an issue and the depth of line wasn’t an issue, we would have put it underneath the creek,” he said.

Engineering aside, McGill is not responsible for the actual construction of the line. Columbia, S.C.-based firm L-J Inc. was awarded the construction contract. The firm is said to be using a local representative to do the work.

At this point it is unknown if the breakage is due to faulty engineering or construction; however, the town is working closely with McGill Associates to determine what to do.

“We spoke with the engineers Monday (June 13) morning and they are assessing it and trying to determine what happens next,” Decker said.

For now, plans are to rebuild the line as it was.

“The number one option is to put it back,” Bishop said.

No word was available as to which entity would be footing the repair bill.