Cary, N.C. Recovers From Sewage Spill

According to town officials in Cary, N.C., a weekend sewage spill in late June that contaminated two area lakes was more than twice as large as they initially estimated.

Officials had said 3 million gal of raw sewage poured into Swift Creek after the Swift Creek Regional Pump Station was shut down to reconnect a 30-in. pipe that had been dislodged by erosion during recent heavy rains, according to www.nbc17.com.

The following Thursday, they revised the spill estimate, however, to 7.9 million gal of sewage, much of which flowed downstream and contaminated Lake Wheeler and Lake Benson.

Cary utility crews worked around the clock to transport 3.9 million gal of sewage from the pump station to the South Cary Wastewater Treatment Plant and install hundreds of yards of a temporary bypass line. City officials closed part of Holly Springs Road to clear a path for the tankers to operate.

After determining that the bypass was functioning properly, officials reopened Holly Springs Road between Cary Parkway and Penny Road to traffic at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to officials, the bypass line went into operation early Wednesday and will continue to be used until the town can get a permanent pipe in place. City officials said using the bypass line for two weeks could cost as much as $110,000.

Source: www.nbc17.com