WQCS00007_Response to Notice - NOV-2024-DV-0361_20240919

DONALD L. PORTER, COMMISSIONER PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION 955 OLD SS ae
CHRISTOPHER DAVIS., COMMISSIONER RONNA GARRETT, COMMISSIONER OF THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28302 1089 RICHARD KING, COMMISSIONER TELEPHONE [phone] TIMOTHY L. BRYANT, CEO/GENERAL MANAGER WWW.FAYPWC.COM
ELECTRIC & WATER UTILITIES
September 19, 2024
Mr. Trent Allen, Regional Supervisor
NC Division of Water Resources
225 Green Street, Suite 714
Fayetteville, NC 28302
Subject: Notice of Violation; NOV-2024-DV-0361
7/20/24 4479 Jockey Whip Lane; Incident 202401183; 97,100 gallons
7/20/24 4146 Fescue Court; Incident 202401186; 377,400 gallons
Dear Mr. Allen:
PWC hereby acknowledges receipt of the NOV regarding the sewer overflows at 4479
Jockey Whip Lane and 4146 Fescue Court, which both occurred on July 20, 2024.
As stated in the reports dated July 21, 2024, and July 22, 2024, the spills at 4146 Fescue
Court and 4479 Jockey Whip Lane respectively, were caused by a third party, utility contractor
who was installing new 24” gravity sewer pipe. The contractor was installing the new sewer pipe
immediately adjacent to Lake Upchurch. The water level in Lake Upchurch rose after a rain event
and the lake water inundated the excavation where the contractor had stopped their installation on
the previous Friday afternoon. The lake water was able to displace the 24” cap the contractor had
placed over the end of the last joint of pipe they had installed and began to enter the collection
system through the newly installed pipe. The influx of lake water overwhelmed the collection
system and resulted in surcharging of the sewer system. Wastewater was able to escape from the
collection system at two locations, a manhole on Jockey Whip Lane and a manhole on Fescue
Court. PWC maintenance staff responded immediately after becoming aware of the overflow and
began searching for the source of the inflow. Crews also began pumping and hauling wastewater
with combination vacuum/jetter trucks to minimize the amount of wastewater escaping from the
collection system. Upon locating the source of the inflow PWC staff immediately installed an
inflatable plug at the manhole immediately downstream of the source of the flow and that ended
the spill incident. The utility contractor responded to the site as well and constructed an earthen
berm around the excavation to prevent any further lake water from entering their excavation. There
was not any cleanup necessary since the wastewater flow was so diluted with fresh water from the
lake. Sampling was conducted in the area of the overflows and results were forwarded to the
DWR-FRO. PWC and the utility contractor met to discuss the importance of protecting any open
excavations and extensions of the collection system to ensure that this type of event would not
BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS SINCE 1905
AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
reoccur. The contractor installed inflatable plugs and constructed earthen berms to protect their
excavations when they resumed work. A Notification of Discharge of Untreated Sewage and a
Paid Public Notice were issued and copies forwarded to the DWR-FRO.
As a condition of PWC’s permit for operation and maintenance of the subject wastewater
collection system, it is required that a minimum of 10% (120 miles) of the collection system be
cleaned yearly. In the last three completed fiscal years (FY22-FY24) PWC has cleaned an average
of 23% (276 miles) of the sewer system per year. While not a requirement of the permit, PWC
has also performed CCTV inspections on an average of 6.5% (78 miles) of the system per year
evaluating the condition of the mains. PWC maintains a proactive approach in operating and
maintaining the sewer system to avoid as many sanitary sewer overflows as possible.
Feel free to call me at 910-223-4718 if you need any additional information.
Very truly yours,
PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION
Chris Rainey
Water Resources Operations Manager
c: Mick Noland
Rhonda Locklear
Tim Ramsey
Deborah Gore, PERCS Unit