News

Flooding causes sewage to spill into Mud Creek

By Bill Moss, Published: November 5, 2015

About 12,000 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled from a manhole at the city sewage treatment plant on Balfour Road Monday because of heavy rainfall and flooding, the city said in a news release.

The sewage, which entered Mud Creek in the French Broad River Basin, was later determined to have been caused by a damaged manhole in the flooded area. The manhole is scheduled to be repaired on Monday, Nov. 9, or as soon as the area is dry enough to support heavy equipment.

The city notified the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality of the spill on Tuesday. The Division of Water Quality is reviewing the matter. The city notified the public of the incident in accordance with a state law requiring treatment plant operators to issue a news release when a spill of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters.