House Bill 1160, which the General Assembly enacted in July 1999, requires that municipalities, animal operations, industries, and others who operate waste handling systems issue news releases when a waste spill of l,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters.
In accordance with that regulation, the following news release has been prepared and issued to local media:
The City of Sanford in Lee County discovered a discharge of untreated wastewater on July 8, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. that lasted for 4 hours due to heavy rain. An estimated amount of 4,350 gallons of untreated wastewater was discharged and entered an unnamed tributary feeding Little Buffalo Creek. The discharge locations were:
- Manhole 2274 located at 305 E. Rose Street
- Manhole 1912 located at Second Street and Sycamore Street
- Manhole 1887 located near Market Avenue and Hickory Avenue
- Manhole 1793 located near Maple Avenue and Jenkins Street
- Manhole 1833 located at 522 Sunset Drive
- Manhole 1764 located at 544 Sunset Drive
- Manhole 1441 located at 2002 N. Shoreline Drive
- Manhole 697 located at 411 Crusaders Drive
The discharge sites will be raked of debris and limed according to State of North Carolina guidance.
The Division of Water Quality was notified of the event on July 9, 2021 and is reviewing the matter.
For information contact the City of Sanford Public Works Service Center at 919-775-8247 or Division of Water Quality’s Raleigh regional office at 919-733-7015.