North Carolina has just emerged from a hot, dry September that state climate researchers rank as the fifth-warmest since 1895. Preliminary data from NC State University put the statewide average rainfall at 2.63 inches, roughly half of normal. Raleigh, the closest major reporting city to Sanford, recorded only 2.17 inches, or 42% of its typical total. While the dry spell affected lawns and reservoirs, its most costly consequences may be unfolding underground, where shifting clay soils are stressing the water and sewer lines that serve thousands of homes.
The NC State Extension Gardener Handbook notes that clayey soils can have shrink-and-swell characteristics that affect construction uses. When a house sits on clay and that clay dries out, it pulls away from buried pipes, including water service lines, sewer laterals and the plumbing beneath a concrete slab. The ground supporting those pipes can shift, creating small separations at joints or cracks that allow water to escape. The damage is rarely obvious at first. A joint on an older sewer line may separate slightly, a supply line under a slab may begin to weep, or tree roots searching for moisture may find a tiny crack in a drain line and work their way in. Homeowners often notice only indirect clues: a water bill that creeps up without a change in use, a drain that gurgles or backs up, a damp or warm patch on a floor, or the sound of running water when every fixture is off.
Comfort First Heating and Cooling, a Sanford-based contractor that handles plumbing, heating and cooling work, says the weeks following a long dry stretch are the cheapest time to find hidden leaks. The company's plumbing services in the area include pipe repair and replacement, drain cleaning, slab leak repair, water heater repair and installation, tankless systems, sump pumps, gas lines and fixture repair. "Most people think about pipes when it freezes, but a long dry month moves the ground too. Clay soil shrinks, the pipes settle with it, and a joint that held for years starts to leak where nobody can see it. Checking the meter with the water off takes five minutes and tells you whether there is a problem worth looking at before the cold weather arrives," said Adam Hagen, General Manager of Comfort First Heating and Cooling. The company recommends several steps: turn off every faucet and appliance and then check the water meter, which should not move if no water is being used; compare this month's water bill with the same month last year; listen for gurgling drains or a toilet that refills on its own; walk floors barefoot to note warm or damp spots on a slab; watch the yard for a patch of green grass or soft ground above the sewer line during a dry week; and find the main shutoff valve and make sure it turns freely before winter.
The implications extend beyond individual households. Lee County and the surrounding Triangle communities rely on underground infrastructure that is largely invisible until it fails. A small leak can waste thousands of gallons of water, drive up utility costs and, if left unaddressed, lead to more extensive repairs. For homeowners, catching a problem early can mean the difference between a simple joint repair and a slab excavation or sewer line replacement. The dry September may also be a preview of a changing climate. As periods of drought become more common, the shrink-swell cycle in clay soils could accelerate wear on buried pipes, making routine checks a more important part of home maintenance. Local plumbing service details are available on the Sanford service page, and the company's broader offerings are described at www.yourcomfortfirst.com.
