WQCS00268_NOI NOV-2019-DV-0242_20190613

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Cityof Jacksonville �o .e�
Public Services Department
Engineering Division
PO Box 128 • Jacksonville NC 28541-0128 • 910 938-5233
June 12, 2019
Morella Sanchez -King
Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Wilmington Regional Office
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
127 Cardinal Drive Extension
Wilmington, NC 28405
Re: Notice of Violation & Intent to Issue Civil Penalty
Tracking No.: NOV-2019-DV-0242
Sanitary Sewer Overfows — February 2019
Collection System Permit No. WQCS00268
Jacksonville Collection System
Onslow County
Dear Ms. Sanchez -King:
Thank you for your letter of May 29, 2019 and the opportunity to clarify the spill occurrence reported on
February 12, 2019 and remedial actions taken by the City of Jacksonville in response to this incident, noted
as Incident No. 201900472 in your file.
CAUSE OF NON-COMPLIANCE
On February 12, 2019 City staff determined that a sewage spill had occurred near Wardola Drive between
manhole #796 and #4723 due to a leaking joint in the 30-year old, 30" concrete sanitary sewer pipe that
crosses a small tributary creek to Wilson Bay. Joints in the pipe were stressed by flow and buoyancy forces
from the extreme high water level of the storm surge from Wilson Bay, noted by City staff as approximately
5 feet above normal water level. This storm surge was caused by Hurricane Florence in September 2018,
a 1,000-year storm event as reported by NOAA based on rainfall and flooding impacts to regional areas of
North Carolina. An estimated 274K gallons of sewage was spilled over a period of approximately 5 months
based on available data.
REMEDIAL ACTIONS
Once the leak was reported to the City, City staff immediately responded by repairing the leaking joint as
follows:
1. Plugged 30" concrete sewer line
2. Set up bypass pump
3. Run lay flat hose through wetlands
Note: The aforementioned tasks were performed the same day the leak was discovered to arrest the spill.
Once the broken section was effectively bypassed with the temporary pump, the following tasks were
performed to repair the broken pipe.

Ms. Sanchez -King
June 12, 2019
Page 2of2
4. Cut out brush to get to broken section of pipe with excavators on mats
5. Cut out bad section of pipe
6. Installed 8x8's for new pipe supports
7. Installed 30" Fernco couplers
8. Installed 8x8's under another pipe section that was starting to separate
9. Poured new concrete piers under additional pipe section as well
10. Restored disturbed area with sod and straw
This repair and cleanup effort performed by the City resulted in a cost of $27,950.00.
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PUBLIC HEALTH AND/OR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
There have been no reports of fish kills or public health impacts in the vicinity of this spill incident.
ADDITIONAL FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION
Please note that this spill incident was clearly not intentional nor was it exacerbated by unnecessary risk
or cost savings at the expense of appropriate design and construction. The spill was caused by joint failure
of a 30 year -old pipe under the stress of flow and buoyancy forces induced by the extreme storm surge
of Hurricane Florence, a catastrophic storm event. The location of the pipe is in a marshy area that is not
easily accessible. The leak was not substantial enough to be noticed, even with routine sampling the City
conducts at the creek the leak discharged into, until the pipe failed to the point that resulting environmental
conditions allowed for a citizen to detect a foul odor and report it to the City.
LESSONS LEARNED AND PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS
This spill incident could not have been reasonably prevented given the extreme storm event and resulting
storm surge. However, to help alleviate flooding and reduce the risk for a similar issue to occur at this
location, the City is planning to replace an undersized culvert with a large box culvert just upstream of this
pipe location to increase the channel flow capacity. The cost of this project is estimated to be $800K.
The City of Jacksonville appreciates your thoughtful consideration of the factors that led to this unfortunate
spill incident. We are proud of our rapid and successful response to this incident and will endeavor to
continuously improve our monitoring and inspection procedures.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at [phone] or
jmiles jacksonvillenc.gov.
Respectfully,
CITY OF JACKSONVILLE
Jason Miles, PE, CFM
Senior Civil Engineer
CC: Dr. Richard Woodruff, City Manager
Ron Massey, Deputy City Manager
Wally Hansen, Public Services Director
Anthony Futrell, Utilities Superintendent
Post Office Box 128 • Jacksonville, North Carolina 28541 9 [phone]