FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                        August 2, 2001

CARY, NC – An observant citizen walking along a Cary greenway early Wednesday alerted Town officials to a sewer spill which, while reaching a small creek, was contained before reaching a private pond upstream from Lake Crabtree. About 1533 gallons of untreated wastewater escaped from the manhole at 132 Oak Hill Loop near Wessex in north central Cary.

Repair crews, who were called to the scene around 7:30 AM Wednesday, set up a bypass pumping operation, installed a temporary dam to keep any more waste from traveling to the creek, limed and flushed the affected area, and pumped the waste back into the municipal system. No fish kill was observed.

"Observant citizens are an essential part of helping the Town protect our community," said Mike Bajorek, the Town’s Public Works Division Director. "Cleanups can be costly, both to our taxpayers and to our environment. That’s why we appreciate folks letting us know right away when they see a problem."

From potholes to fish kills to sewer overflows, citizens are encouraged to call Cary’s Public Works and Utilities Department during regular business hours at 469-4090. After hours and on weekends, citizens should call Cary Police non-emergency communications at 469-4012.

The Clean Water Act adopted by the NC General Assembly requires that a news release be issued by public works operators within 48 hours whenever a wastewater spill of 1,000 gallons or greater reaches surface waters.

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