Tens of thousands of gallons of sewage spill into Cary creek
Nearly 40,000 gallons of sewage spilled into an unnamed creek in Cary on Thursday afternoon.
A manhole overflowed on Gregory Drive causing 39,270 gallons of sewage to spill into an unnamed tributary of Black Creek.
“The spill was caused by a plumbing pipe fitting that made its way into the sewer pipeline allowing sanitary wipes and paper debris to accumulate restricting flow resulting in a backup and manhole overflow,” according to a town of Cary news release.
A temporary dam was built in the creek and dechlorinated water is being used to “flush and clean” the creek, according to the news release.
The sewage and water from the creek is being pumped into the sewer system for treatment and no fish have been observed killed by the spill, according to the news release.
The state already lists Black Creek as an impaired waterway because of excessive stormwater runoff and pollutants that come with it, according to the Black Creek Watershed Association.
People who need to report a sewer spill can go to townofcary.org/sewer or call 311 in Cary or 919-469-4000 outside of town limits.
