Following reports of the recent untreated wastewater discharges into the French Broad River caused by the flooding in Western North Carolina on Jan. 9, the Times-News reached out to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and found out there were more reports of discharges in the area.
One of the largest in WNC was 76,350 gallons at 273 Gallimore Road in Brevard, discharged into the French Broad River. The second-largest was 54,000 gallons at 100 Sierra Nevada Way at Sierra Nevada Brewing in Fletcher, which also went into the French Broad, according to the NCDEQ’s wastewater discharge dashboard.
For the Sierra Nevada discharge, the NCDEQ reported the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County investigated the incident and found the manhole leaking from around the top of the lid. After the flow subsided around 1 a.m. Jan. 10, fecal samples were taken upstream and downstream of the spill site.
“The area was remediated with lime and straw once the river had crested on Jan. 11,” the NCDEQ report said.
There were two more discharges in Transylvania County that discharged into the French Broad River: 287 College Plaza in Brevard (16,100 gallons) and 31 Burnette Drive in Brevard (10,650 gallons). Other WNC discharges previously reported by the Times-News were in Tryon (more than 35,000 gallons) and Hendersonville (more than 16,000 gallons).
More:More than 16K gallons of untreated wastewater discharged in Hendersonville; more than 35K in Tryon
NCDEQ public information officer for the Division of Water Services, Laura Oleniacz, told the Times-News on Jan. 12 residents didn’t need to be concerned.
“Sewer system overflows, called SSOs, are not unusual following a large rain event,” she said. “The NCDEQ Division of Water Resources staff will review the 24-hour and the five-day reports. They may request additional information, as needed, and will determine the next regulatory response, as appropriate.”
The Division of Water Resources requires sewer system operators to submit two reports: One within 24 hours and one within five days of any sewage spill that reaches surface water, or one that’s more than 1,000 gallons.
Oleniacz said discharges are typically caused by pumps and sewer lines being overwhelmed by the volume of rainwater entering sewers through inflow and infiltration. On Jan. 9, many parts of WNC received 4-6 inches of rain over a 12-hour period.
“Rainwater is not supposed to enter sanitary sewers, but it does through cracks and holes in the sewer collection. This is called infiltration,” Oleniacz said. “During flooding, water levels may submerge manholes and enter the sewer lines that way — this is called inflow.”
More rain of up to one-half to three-quarters of an inch was expected for WNC on Jan. 12, with precipitation to begin after 1 p.m. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Buncombe and Henderson counties that was set to expire at 7 p.m. Jan. 13.
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
Read More: Wastewater discharges of 76K gallons in Brevard, 54K at Sierra Nevada reported