WQCS00003_NOI_NOV2020DV0020_Response_20200127

Winston-Salem /Forsyth County
Utilities
Water •Wastewater •Solid Waste
Administration, P.O. Box 2511, Winston-Salem, NC 27102, -•
0: 336-727-8000, F: 336-727-8432, wsfcutilities.org -
January 27, 2020
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 #201901834
Dear Mr. Snider:
N C Department of
Environmental Quality
Received
JAN 2 8 2020
Winston-Salem
Regional Office
This letter serves as the official response from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities (WSFC
Utilities) to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water
Resources Notice of Intent to Enforce Civil Penalty for the November 25, 2019 sanitary sewer
overflow (SSO), Incident #201901834, located at 2901 Shorefair Drive in Winston-Salem. The
incident was a direct result of residential grease.
On November 25, 2019, an SSO occurred at a manhole on property belonging to RJ Reynolds
(RJR). It was reported directly to NCDEQ by RJR at approximately 9:30am. WSFC Utilities was
notified of the incident by NCDEQ on November 27, 2019.
RJR had a routine maintenance check with their environmental quality agent and they
discovered the spill behind their building. According to a maintenance worker at RJR, they
thought the line belonged to them and called a contractor to have the line unstopped. Our staff
investigated the site on November 27 and determined flows were at an acceptable level.
On December 3, 2019 WSFC Utilities met with the RJR maintenance supervisor at the SSO
location and explained the correct process for reporting SSO issues. We cleaned seven
upstream and seven downstream lines, discovering very heavy amounts of residential grease in
both directions. Following the cleaning, we CCTVed the lines and confirmed there was no
damage and no remaining grease deposits.
City Council: Mayor Allen Joines; Vivian H. Burke, Mayor ProTempore, Northeast Ward; Denise D. Adams, North Ward; Dan Besse, SouthwestWard; RobertC. Clark,
West Ward; John C. Larson, South Ward; Jeff Macintosh, Northwest Ward; Annette Scippio, East Ward; lames Taylor, Jr., Southeast Ward; City Manager: Lee D. Garrity
County Commissioners: David R. Plyler, Chair, Don Martin, Vice Chair, Fleming El -Amin; Ted Kaplan; Richard V. Linville; Tanya McDaniel; Gloria D. Whisermmt; County
Call 311 or 336.727.8000 Manager: Dudley Watt;J,
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilli y Commission: Randall S. Tuttle, Chair L. Wesley Curtis, Jr., Vice Chair; Harold E. Day; Tom Griffin; Yvonne H. Hines; Duane Long;
[e-mail] HughW.Jernigan; Chris Parker; James Ruffin; Donald R.Stewart; Allan Younger

WSFC Utilities staff attributes the sanitary sewer overflow on November 25, 2019 to heavy
amounts of grease from nearby apartment complexes. Grease and wipes literature and
promotional items were distributed to homes above the spill site. WSFC Utilities continues to
make progress in minimizing SSOs and has the proper programs in place to continue our high
level of performance. Our new No Wipes in Pipes campaign was piloted last week and will be
fully launched in the coming weeks.
I hope this information is helpful with your investigation of Incident #201901834. If you require
additional information, please contact me at 336-747-7315.
Sincerely,
Courtney Driver, P.E.
Utilities Director
cc: Michael Stover, Assistant Utilities Director -Operations
Kenny Atkins, Utilities Field Operations Manager
Antonio Martinez, ORC
File