The town of Mount Olive had a discharge of untreated sewer from the collection system’s lift station No. 1 located at Norbert Wilson Road. The spill was discovered on Friday, July 24, at 3 a.m. and stopped later that day around 3 p.m. Approximately 144,000 gallons reached service waters.
House Bill 1160, which the General Assembly enacted in July 1999, requires those municipalities, animal operations, industries and others who operate waste handling systems issue news releases when a waste spill of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters. In accordance with that regulation, notification of the spill was released to local news media.
The untreated waste entered the headwaters of the Northeast Cape Fear River. The spill occurred as a result of heavy rainfall during a 12-hour period.
For more information, contact town Manager Octavius Murphy at 919-658-9539.