BLOCKED LINE LEADS TO SEWER OVERFLOW

CARY , NC – Debris blocked a portion of the Town of Cary ’s sanitary sewer system resulting in a 1,900-gallon spill from a manhole on Thursday, April 20 about 5 p.m. at the 300 block of Kettlebridge Drive.  The untreated waste reached an unnamed tributary of Apex Lake off Lake Pine Drive ; no fish-kill was observed.  After quickly unblocking the line and restoring normal flow, Town crews flushed the affected area with 100,000 gallons of dechlorinated water and pumped the flushing water back into the Town’s collection system. 

“While we don’t believe the spill was the result of vandalism, it may have been caused by buildup from household usage,” said Mike Bajorek, Cary Public Works Director.  “Citizens can help reduce these types of spills by avoiding the disposal of certain items into the collection system.”  Bajorek indicated that the Town lists common items that should not be disposed of in the sewer on its web site at www.townofcary.org.

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.

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