Several hundreds of gallons of untreated wastewater overflowed from a sewer line in Chapel Hill on Wednesday night, with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority working to clean up the affected area on Thursday.
An alert from the local water agency on Thursday said that OWASA’s crews responded to a manhole at 325 Lightning Bug Trail around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday after a resident called in the overflow. The site is near Bolin Creek, in the area close to East Franklin Street and North Estes Drive — but OWASA said the overflow instead entered “an unnamed tributary” and not the popular creek.
The overflow was caused by roots in the sewer line under the road, according to OWASA, and an estimated 1,575 gallons overflowed Wednesday night. Repairs crews cleared the blockage and stopped the flow around 9:15 p.m.
OWASA’s release on Thursday said water quality samples of the tributary will be taken after mitigation efforts are finished to see if any further remediation steps are required beyond the ongoing clean-up. The local agency also said it notified the appropriate state officials.
Any community members with questions about the overflow, potential effects, and mitigation efforts are encouraged to contact Nick Rogers, who is the assistant manager of OWASA’s Distribution and Collection System. The water and sewer agency said to email him or call (919) 537-4269.
Photo via Orange Water and Sewer Authority.
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