Weddington votes against wastewater plant

WEDDINGTON, N.C. -- After weeks of heated debate over a controversial wastewater treatment plant in the town of Weddington, residents finally have answers.

The Town Council unanimously voted to put a stop to the treatment plant.

It’s been a long process filled with testimony and a lot of opposition. 

The Friends of Weddington, a group opposed to the plant, hired lawyers and expert witnesses to represent them against the developers.       

Residents like Guy Woodlief who were there for the long haul say, "It was a hard fight on both sides."

“This would've been a tragic mistake,” Tim Dickinson said. “We'd have private sewer plants all over this town. I think it's a victory. Our quality of life hasn't changed. We don't have a sewer plant."

The plant would've been built in a subdivision not yet built called The Woods, just off of N.C. 84 in Union County.

Developers wanted to take sewage water, clean it and reuse it to irrigate lawns for multi-million dollar homes, but now that plan is scrapped.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed and I think we've done an exceptional job presenting evidence to support our case, but I’m disappointed. There’s no question I’m disappointed," Philip Walton of IB Development said.

The question now is: if he can't build the water treatment plant, what will happen to the plans for those magnificent homes?

"We are going to more forward with the project, no questions asked,” Walton said.

So, it’s back to the drawing board for developers.

They have to go back to septic, but maybe not the conventional septic system you're thinking.

Developers will now sit down with their engineers and say they could have something new for the Town Council to consider as early as next week.