Town officials blame 1.139 million gallon sewer overflow on seven inches of rain that fell over a 12-hour period this past weekend. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
A sewer overflow of more than 1.1 million gallons is being blamed on seven inches of rain that fell over a 12-hour period this past weekend.
The spill, from the town’s collection system’s main pump station at 408 Wilkins Farm Road, entered the headwaters of the nearby North East Cape Fear River.
The overflow, totalling approximately 1,139,160 gallons, was discovered at 5:42 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, and as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 18, had stopped.
The N.C. General Assembly enacted House Bill 1160 in July 1999, requiring municipalities to release information to the public within 24 hours when a sanitary sewer overflow of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters.
It requires a public notice in addition to the press release if the discharge is more than 15,000 gallons.
The N.C. Division of Water Quality was notified of the spill on Monday, Dec. 18.
Mount Olive’s struggle with sewer issues dates back nearly 50 years, and since 2015 the town has been operating under a state-imposed Special Order of Consent that prevents new sewer hook-ups.
Blame rest with a sewer plant that failed to work as promised and an aging underground sewer lines that allow rainwater and groundwater into the sewer system.
Known as inflow and infiltration, or I&I, once the water enters the sewer system it has to be treated, straining the already burdened system even more — particularity when heavy rains overpower the plant’s treatment capacity.
It adds as well to treatment cost.
The town has received funding to address issues with the sewer plant including, I&I and land applications issues at the plant.
This past July, it received $14 million from N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to include:
— $8 million for collection system rehabilitation and and replacement project including engineering, administration, testing, fees and construction;
— $6 million for wastewater treatment plant improvement to include engineering, administration, testing, fees and construction.
The town’s PowerPoint presentation on the sewer problems and grants and loans can be found at https://onedrive.live.com/edit.aspx?resid=BCFCC13AD194D35E!530&ithint=file%2cpptx&wdo=2&authkey=!AKWuQGlwkQXr3XQ.
