NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH -- Crews have completed work on the sandbag revetment project at the northernmost end of North Topsail Beach.
It took about three months and $1.5 million, and now the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management has issued the town of a violation, saying a portion of it needs to be removed.
The problem is a large geotube on the northernmost end that was placed there temporarily so crews could block the water while they worked on installing the smaller sandbags.
The tube was supposed to be gone once the project was finished, but sand buried it over time.
Town Manager Stuart Turille said at this point removing the tube would do more harm than good.
"Based on information from our consulting engineers that this is a dynamic area in an inlet hazard area, that if we remove the geotube at this time, which is covered with sand, it could possibly weaken the structural integrity of the revetment system," Turille said.
The revetment is the only thing standing between about 20 homes and the Atlantic Ocean.
"My heart goes out to those people who bought those houses," said Randy Ognibene, a North Topsail Beach homeowner who bought a house just across the street. "We almost bought there, instead we bought here a little further back, and thankfully we did."
Turille said the town has yet to formally respond to the violation notice from the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management. However, he said they plan to request the tube stay where it is.
"If we removed the geotube and undermined the structural integrity of the revetment, we would not be good fiscal stewards of the $1.5 million that we have spent in that area to protect that area from flooding and the threat to the properties," Turille said.
The town faces a civil assessment of up to $10,000 plus investigative costs from the state, according to the notice.
Town leaders have until Thursday to issue a formal response.