NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 11, 1999

CARY REPORTS
WEEKEND SEWER SPILL

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary responded to a 3,120-gallon residential sanitary sewer spill on Saturday at 108 Horne Creek Court that was caused by a grease build-up. The untreated waste had escaped from a manhole and reached an unnamed tributary of the Neuse River, but no fish-kill was observed. Repair crews were working to contain the spill within 45 minutes of its report. They installed a temporary dam to keep the waste from traveling downstream, limed the area, and pumped the waste back into the municipal system. The Clean Water Act adopted this summer by the State Legislature requires a news release be issued by public works operators whenever a wastewater spill of 1,000 gallons or greater reaches surface waters.

To decrease future such incidents, the Town of Cary in 1998 established a Pretreatment Program designed to work with property owners to reduce the amount of fats, oils, and greases that are dumped each year into the municipal sewer system. While the program has thus far focused on commercial establishments since they produce a higher proportion of the problem, Town officials are working to educate all sewer customers on the dangers of dumping grease.

Information about Cary’s Pretreatment Program can be found on the Town’s website, www.townofcary.org .