Town reports 720,000-gallon wastewater spill
By From staff reports
Published in News on March 2, 2015 1:46 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Heavy rain on top of melting snow and ice is being blamed for causing a sewer spill of 720,000 gallons of untreated wastewater.
The overflow started at 6 a.m. on Thursday at the town's sewer treatment plant and did reach the surfaces waters of the Northeast Cape Fear River.
The spill was a result of 1.9 inches of rainfall in a four-hour period following a week of snowy, icy weather and a season of much higher-than-average rainfall leaving the ground saturated and incapable of absorbing additional moisture, town officials said.
The town is continuing to work to solve issues with inflow and infiltration into its sewer collection system as well as land application issues at the wastewater treatment plant, Town manager Charles Brown said.
The Division of Water Quality was notified of the spills on Feb. 26 as required by state law.
Adopted in July 1999, the law requires municipalities to release information to the public when a sanitary sewer overflow of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters.