November 14, 2008
 

CARY, NC – Grease and tree roots blocked a portion of the Town of Cary's sanitary sewer system resulting in a 1,067-gallon spill from a manhole near the 300 block of Middleton Avenue on Thursday, November 13, 2008 just after 4 p.m.  The untreated waste reached an unnamed tributary of Dutchman's Branch; no fish-kill was observed.  To clean the areas, Town crews built a temporary dam, flushed the creek with de-chlorinated water, and then pumped the flushing water back to the sewer system.  The line was repaired and normal flow re-established.

"The rainy weather we’ve been experiencing helped to dilute the impacts of the spill," said Town of Cary Utility Systems Maintenance Manager Sam Tingler.

Citizens can help reduce problems in the sewer collection system by following the tips in a number of Town publications available at www.townofcary.org, including:

• 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 site also includes a short video of the inside of a sewage line coated with grease.

The Clean Water Act requires a news release to be 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.

 ###