FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2009

CARY, NC – A mop head lodged in a sewer line led to a 2,898-gallon sanitary sewer overflow from a surcharging manhole at the 100 block of Loch Highlands Drive on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.; gravel had accumulated in the line near the mop head. All of the untreated waste reached an unnamed tributary of Swift Creek; no fish were killed. After unblocking the line and restoring normal flow, Town crews cleaned the area around the manhole, cleaned the area of overflow into the stream, and then pumped any remaining wastewater back into the collection system.

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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