WQCS00003_NOV2021DV0137_20210315

t
nston-Salem / FolSyth Couniy
Utilities
Water •Wastewater •Solid Waste
Administration, P.O. Box 2511, Winston-Salem, NC 27102
O: 336-727-8000, F: 336-727-8432, cityofws.org/utilities
March 10, 2021
Lon T. Snider, Regional Supervisor
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Water Resources
450 West Hanes Mill Road, Suite 300
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27105
Re: Sanitary Sewer Overflow Civil Penalties Incident #202003076
Dear Mr. Snider:
NC Department of
Environmental Quality
Received
Winston-Salem
Regional Office
This letter serves as the official response from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities to the
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Resources Notice of
Intent to Enforce Civil Penalty for the November 12, 2020 sanitary sewer overflow (SSO),
Incident #202003076, located at 2531 Buena Vista Road in Winston-Salem. The incident was a
result of inflow and infiltration due to severe natural conditions during Tropical Storm Eta.
Normal precipitation at Winston-Salem Airport for the month of November is 3.11 inches. In
November 2020, more than 6.65 inches fell and 5.37 inches of that was during the November
11-12 storm event. Rain began falling at 2:00am on November 11 and did not subside until
7:00pm on November 12. Gage height information for Abbotts Creek (Lexington) and the
Yadkin River (Yadkin College) indicate that both exceeded flood stage with a rise on the order of
18-20 feet during the rainfall period. This heavy rain caused Brushy Creek to flood well outside
of its banks.
On November 12 at 8:45am, a Utilities Field Operations crew happened to drive by 2531 Buena
Vista Road and discovered an SSO due to heavy rain and flooding caused by the tropical storm.
The spill was less than 1,000 gallons and was resolved in 40 minutes at 9:25am. The crew used
their combo jet/vac truck to clean and sanitize the area following protocol.
GMEWCRY Council: Mayor Allen Joiner Denise D. Adams, Mayor Pro Tempera, North Ward; Barbara Hanes Burke, Northeast Ward; Robert C. Clark, West Word;
Jahn C Larson, South Ward; Jeff yetea sh, Northwest Ward; Kevin Mundy, Southwest Ward; Annette Scippie, East Ward; James Taylop Jr.. Southeast Ward;
CRY Manager: Lee D. Garrity
County Commission s: Candid R. Piylep Chair; Don Martin, Vice Chair; Fleming El -Amin; Ted Kaplan; Richard V. Linville;Toirya McDaniel; Gloda D. Whisenhunt;
Call3ll or336-727-0000 County Manager: Dudley Watts, Jr.
Winsmn-Sakns(FarsyM County I tlgly Commission: Randall S. Tuttle, Chair; L. Wesley Curtie,Jr., Vice Chair; Harold E. Day;Tom GORR, Yvonne H. Hines;
[e-mail] Duane Lang; HughW.Jemigan;ChrmParker,DonaldR.Stewart; Charles Wilson; Allan Younger

WSFC Utilities continues to make progress in minimizing SSOs and has the proper programs in
place to continue our high level of performance. Our comprehensive sanitary sewer evaluation
study has provided strategic cleaning and examination of our system to identify areas with the
greatest need for repair and replacement.
I hope this information is helpful with your investigation of Incident #202003076. If you require
additional information, please contact me at 336-747-7315.
Sincerely,
CQI�I
Courtney Driver, P.E.
Utilities Director
cc: Michael Stover, P.E., Assistant Utilities Director -Operations
Kenny Atkins, Utilities Field Operations Manager
Antonio Martinez, ORC
File