DURHAM - When Durham resident Liz Pullman picked up a copy of the city's new Annual Sewer System Report, she flipped through looking for information about an 8-million-gallon sewage spill last May that resulted in hefty fines from state regulators.

What she saw surprised her. The only mention of the spill near the Eno River is on the last page of the document, which the city is required by law to provide to the public and state officials. On the list of 34 sewage spills and overflows, the May event is listed as a 1,000- gallon spill. Under the heading "Impact," the city filled in "None noted," as it did for all the spills.

Earlier this month, state environmental officials fined the city $33,431 after an investigation determined that the 21-inch-diameter sewer line failed because of corrosion that should have been detected during required annual inspections. City records indicate it had not been inspected for nearly two years before the spill.

The ruptured line in a remote area on the city's north side spewed undetected for 17 days -- issuing 8 million gallons of sewage into nearby wetlands, a beaver pond and a small creek leading to the Eno. That amount of sewage would fill about 1,000 of the tractor-trailer tanker trucks commonly used to deliver gasoline to service stations.

An engaged resident who frequently attends public meetings, Pullman sent an e-mail message to members of the City Council about the size discrepancy, saying it was either a misrepresentation or a cover-up.

Vicki Westbrook, the public relations coordinator for the city water department, said in an e-mail response that environmental regulations require only that the city report the volume of sewage that entered the "waters of the state." Under the city's interpretation of the rule at the time the report was prepared, that meant they only had to report the amount of sewage the city estimates went into the Eno, not what spilled into the pond or creek. The "none noted" for environmental impact is because the city personnel responding to the scene did not see dead fish in the river or other visual evidence of damage.

Rules clarified

In fact, under state rules, nearly all of the sewage spilled in May should have been reported. After questions were raised about the accuracy of Durham's reporting about a separate spill into the Eno in August, a state regulator wrote Durham: "What goes into any conveyance, including dry creek beds, ditches, stormdrains, etc., are surface waters of the State of North Carolina."

Westbrook said that clarification was received after the sewer report had been prepared.

As for the absence of an observed environmental impact, a sample of water from the Eno collected just before the spill was discovered showed fecal coliform, a type of bacteria present in human waste, in concentrations at 18.5 times the state environmental standard. Eventually, the city would remove 1,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the spill site -- the equivalent of more than 66 loads for a large dump truck.

Pullman said the city's reporting about the May spill makes her question the truthfulness of other information provided by the city.

"It is appalling that number was reported," she said, referring to the 1,000 gallons. "That report was a feel-good document. More PR than anything else."