During scheduled flood inspection rotations on Tuesday February 11th, City of Lincolnton Water Resources Distribution & Collection crews discovered a 4 inch sewer line from the Hwy 150 Bypass Lift Station was broken and spilling untreated wastewater into the South Fork River. This DOES NOT affect drinking water.
Crews immediately switched the pump station off and began pumping water from the lift station into trucks and hauling it to the Wastewater Treatment Plant on the other side of the 150 bypass.
The line break was caused by a large tree that fell into the river during the recent South Fork River flooding. The line was broken for approximately one hour before being turned off. Based on the average pump run times and capacity, approximately 12,000 gallons spilled into the South Fork River. City of Lincolnton crews, with assistance from contractor crews, repaired the sewer line and returned the lift station to service at 4:30pm the same day.
According to NCDEQ (North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality), there have been more than 75 reports of wastewater spills during the current flooding events.
This release has been prepared in accordance with NC General Statute 143-215.iC which requires that the owner or operator of any wastewater collection or treatment works to issue a press release when an untreated wastewater discharge of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters. The NC Division of Water Resources was notified of the event on February 11, 2020.
Public Release document