Cleanup continues, health risk linger after more than a million gallons of sewage spills in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — City of Raleigh officials said Tuesday that it’s only a matter of time before a notice of violation goes out following a massive raw sewage spill at Raleigh-Durham International Airport last week.

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According to officials, a temporary bypass pipe burst under pressure on May 13 while a contractor was working on an expansion project at the airport near Terminal Two. About 1.14 million gallons of untreated wastewater was discharged from a storm drain pipe into Turkey Creek at Glenwood Avenue and Lynn Road near homes and businesses.

Most the sewage stayed contained in excavated pits, but during cleanup, contractors mistakenly sent the sewage into a storm drain instead of the sanitary sewer system, causing the contaminated water to flow into Turkey Creek and potentially farther downstream into Crabtree Creek.

It is unclear if any of the 200,000 gallons of wastewater delivered by the contractor to the site was correctly routed into the sanitary sewer system.

“Under the city’s illicit discharge ordinance, the responsible party must cover all expenses associated with the cleanup and is obligated to complete remediation,” Raleigh officials said.

As a cleanup of the area continues, environmental advocates a warning people to steer clear of Turkey Creek and Crabtree Creek until conditions improve.

The concern for environmental advocate isn’t what people can necessarily see or smell. Even after the visible mess disappears, health risks can linger beneath the surface.

According to environmental advocates, spills of this size can create serious risks for wildlife, fish, and people nearby.

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The non-profit environmental watchdog group Sound Rivers has been testing samples for contamination.

“From a human health perspective, raw sewage can carry bacteria, viruses, and parasites,” said Samantha Krop with Sound Rivers. “What we found were very high levels of E. coli in Turkey Creek where the spill happened and over half a mile downstream of that location. The water was very gray, looked contaminated, and smelled extremely malodorous.”

According to city officials, no fish kills or visible vegetation damage has been reported as of Tuesday. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is continuing to monitor the situation by reviewing incident reports and sampling data to determine what regulatory response and enforcement actions could follow.

“The City of Raleigh has done everything within their power to respond to this responsibly,” Krop said. “This was a contractor issue and one that was quite shocking. We really hope to see a lot of accountability from this contractor by not just having to pay back the city for the allocation of resources and time, but also for the environmental cleanup and lasting cleanup and impacts that are going to be necessary here.”

City officials said the wastewater discharge was contained near where Sendero Drive crosses Turkey Creek due to low flow in the creek. No drinking water sources or recreational lakes were impacted by the spill.

Raleigh Stormwater is gathering and evaluating information to finalize a notice of violation.

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