20061203 Ver 1_Public Notice Comments_20060628

1tLK
June 25, 2006
Mr. Dan Blaisdell, P.E.
Assistant Chief, Engineering Branch
Construction Grants and Loans Section
North Carolina Division of Water Quality
1633 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1633
Ms. Cyndi Karoly
North Carolina Division of Water Quality
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1650
Mr. Monte Matthews
Raleigh Regulatory Field Office
6508 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 120
Raleigh, NC 2615
Dear Messrs. Blaisdell & Matthews,
Ms. Karoly:
-~
This letter is an update to my June 20, 20061etter. Attachment 1,
Recent Sewage Spills In The Triangle, had to be updated because Cary
continues to have ongoing raw sewage spills. Their latest raw sewage spill
began sometime Friday, June 23, and according to the June 25, 2006 edition
of the News and Observer, the spill is ongoing, and is dumping 200,000
gallons of raw sewage an hour into Swift Creek, Lake Wheeler, and Lake
Benson.
As I stated in my earlier letter, based on Cary's track record of how
they manage sewage plants and transmission lines, they should not be
allowed to build and manage a sewage plant in New Hill, or in any
unincorporated area outside of their town limits.
Also, DENR and the Army Corps of Engineers should investigate
Cary's incompetence and fine them for contaminating areas creeks and
lakes.
I sincerely hope that Cary will have to bear the expense of cleaning up
3o~-Ke.Uy • 3020 OLw~ ~av~wv 12aac~ • ~pP,w, NC Z 7502

the sewage spill into Swift Creek, Lake Wheeler, and Lake Benson rather than
the citizens of North Carolina who do not live in Cary.
As stated earlier, all of the residents of New Hill depend on wells for
drinking water, and farm ponds to water livestock and irrigate our fields.
What recourse will the residents of New Hill have when Cary has a sewage spill
that contaminates our wells, farm ponds and fields.
For this reason alone, the EIS submitted by Cary on behalf of the
Western Wake Partners should be rejected.
Sincerely,
~~~~
Attachments
3o~-Ke,Uy • 3020 OLwPi~cwwv2aacL • ~1p~x, NC 27502

Recent Sewage Spills In The Triangle
Gallons Gallons
Date Spilled Date Spilled
Cary Began: June 23, 200,000 per Apex June 1, 2005 25,000
2006 & is Ongoing hour
June 17, 2006 2,713 Apri123, 2003 2500
June 16, 2006 7,200 February 4, 2003 150
June 15, 2006 792,000
June 13, 2006 6,300
Apri129, 2006 18 - 36,000 Carrboro July 26, 2000 2 - 3 million
Apri121, 2006 1900
Apri16, 2006 > 1,000
February 4, 2006 11,048 Durham August 15, 1997 20,000
January 28, 2006 > 1,000 July 30, 1997 30,000
January 11, 2006 1,500 ', July 27, 1997 1.6 million
January 8, 2006 > 1,000
November 12, 2005 2,235 Garner August 22, 1997 500,000
August 18, 2005 94,000
June 8, 2005 18,000 Holly March 6, 2000 7,350
Apri12005 40 Springs March 8, 2003 4,500
March 2005 1,056 November 5, 2002 1,500
February 26, 2005 1,556 November 4, 2002 5,000
December 2004 1,000
August 15, 2004 15,559 Raleigh May 4, 2005 3 million
July 13, 2004 1,372 September 3, 2004 67,200
March 16, 2004 25,000 March 31, 2004 9,600
March 1, 2004 15,978 September 16, 1999 1.2 million
February 13, 2004 1,532 August 16, 1999 151,200
January 14, 2004 2,311 June 24, 1999 200,000
April 15, 2003 346 March 3, 1999 165,000
May 13, 2003 6,040
May 2, 2003 600 Zebulon September 15, 1999 126,000
March 6, 2003 18,850 August 16, 1999 157,500
March 5, 2003 297
Feburary 22, 2003 1,500 - 1,800
Feburary 17, 2003 1,626 SOUrCeS'
~ Draft EIS for Western Wake Regional
February 2, 2003 3,546 Wastewater Management Facility
January 28, 2003 4,812 NBC 17
News 14 Carolina
January 26, 2003 3,546 The News & Observer
December 5, 2002 5,850 NC Division of Water Qu ality
November 29, 2002 420 Town of Cary Web Site:
October 15, 2002 1,000 - 2,500 www.townofcary.org/news/news2006/

October 11, 2002
2,930 newsind.htm
October 11, 2002 6,480
September 16, 2002 360 t
Attachment 1

News 14 Carolina Story :Massive sewage spill closes Lak...
www.news14.com
Massive sewage spill closes Lake Wheeler
Updated: 6/25/2006 1:28:53 PM
By: Ashley Smith
RALEIGH -- The city of Raleigh is
testing the waters of Lake
Wheeler this weekend. Friday, a
sewage spill dumped
contaminated water into Swift
Creek, which feeds into Lake
Wheeler. Now the lake is closed
for water activities until those tests
come back.
The Banfalby family catches a fish at That means no fishing on Lake
Simkins Pond. They fished there since Wheeler this weekend for the
Lake wi,eeier was off limits. Banfalby family. Normally, they
would take a boat out on the lake but the sewage spill forced them to
change their plans and head to nearby Simkins Pond instead.
"We've been advised that this pond here hasn't been affected by
that, so that's why we moved from over there. We were there
originally there then came over here for the kids to fish," said John
Banfalby.
Meanwhile Raleigh officials are collecting water samples to see just
how contaminated Lake Wheeler is.
`We assembled a team of samplers and laboratory folks to come out
here and start sampling the lake to see what the impact would be on
the lake," said T.J. Lynch, the superintendent of the Raleigh
Wastewater Treatment Center.
Each day the testers will come out to check for low oxygen levels
that could be harmful to fish and other water life. They're also
checking for a-coli, bacteria that is harmful to humans.
As people wait for the lake to open, water treatment specialists say
they're optimistic about the results. That's because so far they
haven't seen any dead fish and the large body of water is actually
helping to dilute some of that sewage.
As for the Banfalbys, they say
they are glad the testers are
working quickly, and they hope
they can get back to fishing at
their usual spot sometime soon.
1 of 2 6/25/2006 7:03 PM

News 14 Carolina Story :Massive sewage spill closes Lak...
"Yeah, that way we can come out. We'll see where it goes next
weekend," said Banfalby.
He added that he really hoping the lake will reopen just in time for
the Fourth of July weekend.
Testers said it's too early to tell when the lake will reopen but plan to
be back out there to monitor Lake Wheeler Monday.
Copyright ©2006 TWEAN d.b.a. News 14 Carolina
2 of 2 6/25/2006 7:03 PM

WRAL.com -Print This Story -Sewer Overflow At Cary ...
WRAL.com
Sewer Overflow At Cary
Pump Station Closes Raleigh
Lake
POSTED: 11:04 am EDT June 24, 2006
UPDATED: 12:20 pm EDT June 25, 2006
Related To Story
~-
.:,~~
A sewage overflow at a Cary pump station
prompted park officials to close Lake Wheeler
in Raleigh.
1 of 2 6/25/2006 6:04 PM

WRAL.com -Print This Story -Sewer Overflow At Cary ...
CARY, N.C. -- A sewage overflow in Cary shut down a popular Raleigh lake over the
weekend as crews worked to fix the spill and test the lake for contamination.
Rain from Friday's thunderstorms caused a soil embankment to collapse at the Swift
Creek Regional Pump Station on Holly Springs Road, officials said.
Video: Sewer Overflow At Cary Pump Station Closes Raleigh Lake
Crews worked Friday night and Saturday to stop the spill, which began at about 7:30
p.m. and released nearly 5 million gallons of untreated sewage into Swift Creek.
To repair the pipe, crews had to shut down the pump station, at which point the sewage
normally moving through the station began going into Swift Creek.
Town spokeswoman Susan Moran said on Sunday that the problem was not yet fixed, but
that crews had established apumping-and-hauling operation on Saturday to help
alleviate the situation.
Once the valve is repaired, crews would able to restart the pump station, causing the
ongoing spill to end.
"We have been working around the clock to make this repair," said the Utilities Director
Rob Bonne. "Fortunately, Swift Creek remains swollen from the recent heavy rains, which
is helping to mitigate the spill's impacts."
Authorities said no fish kill has been observed, but the city of Raleigh closed public
access to Lake Wheeler, in which the creek drains, for fishing, canoeing, sailing and other
water activities. Lake Benson in Garner was also shut down as a precaution.
"Our main focus is the safety of our patrons," said Raleigh Parks and Recreation
Supervisor Richard Costello. "We're making sure that there are no risks at all."
The lake was expected to remain closed until water-testing was complete and pending
the tests' results. Initial test results were expected back on Sunday, but park officials
could not say on Saturday when they thought the lake would reopen. Lake Wheeler Park,
however, is open to the public.
Friday's spill was the latest in a series of sewage spills in Cary. From June 15 to June 16,
nearly 800,000 gallons of lake water and untreated waste spilled into Crabtree Creek as a
result of the Tropical Storm Alberto's remnants.
On June 17, 2,700 gallons of untreated waste spilled into a tributary of Middle Creek as a
result of debris blocking the sewer system.
Reporter: Dan Bowens
Photographer: Tom Normanly
Web Editor: Kelly Gardner
Copyright 2006 by WRAL. com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2 of 2 6/25/2006 6:04 PM

newsobserver.com
~~ ~~~~
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Published: Jun 24, 2006 06:03 PM
Modified: Jun 24, 2006 06:03 PM
Massive sewage spill prompts closure of
Lake Wheeler activities
The Associated Press
Authorities closed Lake
Wheeler to recreational
activities Saturday after
untreated sewage from Cary
began pouring into a tributary
Friday night at a rate of 200,000
gallons per hour.
The spill began after utility
workers shut down a pump
near Swift Creek to reconnect a
dislodged pipe, Cary officials
said. They hoped to stop the
spill on Saturday.
Raleigh officials closed the lake
to swimming, fishing and
boating until they can determine
the water is safe.
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Lake Wheeler Park remained
open Saturday.
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newsobserver.com
newsab~erver.c~artl
pr~rrc ~ - close wiMV
Published: Jun 25, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: Jun 25, 2006 06:55 PM
Cary sewage spill closes lakes
Workers try to stop the untreated flow into Swift Creek after a pipe burst
Friday
BY DAVID BRACKEN, STAFF WRITER, Staff
Writer
Cary officials said today that
heavy rains and ongoing
construction at a pumping
station were to blame for a spill
that has dumped millions of
gallons of untreated sewage
into Swift Creek.
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^ Land rush, runoff threaten inner coast's water,
shellfish
The spill has prompted Raleigh officials on Saturday to close Lake
Wheeler and Lake Benson to boating, swimming and fishing while
bacteria tests were conducted on the water. Donna Jackson,
Raleigh's assistant public utilities director, said Sunday she expects
to receive those test results Monday.
Rob Bonne, Cary's Utility Director, said a pipe dislodged Friday
evening about 7:30 p.m. after an excavation site at its Swift Creek
pumping station caved in. The broken pipe forced officials to shut
down the station, which handles about 5 million gallons of waste on
an average day.
Cary officials estimate as much as 3 million gallons of untreated
waste may have entered Swift Creek over the next 36 hours as
engineers struggled to fix the problem.
By 11 a.m. today, engineers had a temporary system in place to
prevent sewage from reaching Swift Creek. They began rerouting
the sewage from man holes located upstream from the pumping
station.
1 of 2 6/25/2006 7:06 PM

newsobserver.com
The sewage was being diverted to 6,500 gallon tanker trucks, which
are hauling it downstream to where it can re-enter the sewer
system and flow to the South Cary sewage treatment plant.
The hauling operation caused the closure of Holly Springs Road
between Lilly Atkins Road and High Ridge Drive until further notice.
Holly Springs Road also is closed to thru traffic from Cary Parkway
to Penny Road.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast
or redistributed in any manner.
©Copyright 2006, The News & Observer Publishing Company
A subsidiary ofThe McClatchy Company
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