BLOCKED LINE LEADS TO SEWER OVERFLOW

CARY, NC – Grease, debris, and gravel blocked a portion of the Town of Cary’s sanitary sewer system resulting in an estimated 1,767 gallon overflow of wastewater from a manhole on Thursday, September 28, around 7:20 a.m. behind Windvale Court in southern Cary.  The untreated waste reached a storm retention pond that leads to an unnamed tributary of Swift Creek; however, the spill did not reach the unnamed tributary, and no fish-kill was observed.

After dislodging the blockage, Town crews pumped wastewater back into the sewer collection system and limed the affected area.  Once clean, they tilled, seeded, and laid straw on the soil. The sewer main was cleaned along with several line segments downstream of the spill location.

To decrease 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 (FOG) that are dumped into the municipal sewer system each year.   When such spills do occur, the pretreatment team sends reminder letters about the problems associated with FOG to area residents and businesses.

Helpful publications from the FOG program, which are available at www.townofcary.org, include:

• What do I do if I have a sewer blockage?
• Do's and Don'ts - Sanitary Sewer System
• FOG Bill Insert
• How to dispose of cooking grease
• How blockage affects the sewer system
• Common items that should not be disposed of in the sewer

The web section also includes a short video of the inside of a sewage line coated with grease.

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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