CARY, NC – Cleanup continues today after officials discovered sewage overflowing from two manholes in an easement off Blanche Drive in Northeast Cary around 9 a.m. Thursday morning. Town of Cary public works staff believes that the estimated 26,400-gallon spill was caused when an 8-inch sewer line became blocked by grease. The untreated waste that escaped from the manholes made its way to and down an unnamed tributary of Walnut Creek, with a small amount of highly diluted wastewater reaching Raleigh’s Lake Johnson.

Crews were able to stop the spill and restore normal system operations by 11 a.m. Thursday by locating and dislodging the blockage. At the same time, several other crews began a massive effort to limit the effects of the spill by setting up an earthen dam on the creek near Dana Drive in Raleigh, flushing the creek with clean water, and pumping it into the nearby municipal sewer system. The operation was coordinated with officials from the City of Raleigh and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

While there was one report of a small number of dead fish in the area yesterday, tests of the creek and lake water this morning indicate that the water quality has returned to normal. However, work is expected to continue today and perhaps into the weekend to ensure that the cleanup is comprehensive and complete.

The Clean Water Act requires public notice in the form of a news release issued by public works operators within 48 hours of the detection of a wastewater overflow of 1,000 gallons or greater that also reaches surface waters. Paid advertisements are also necessary for spills in excess of 14,999 gallons.