WILMINGTON — The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority said Friday it had stopped a sanitary sewer overflow that began earlier in the week and resulted in about 2.44 million gallons of untreated wastewater entering Smith Creek at 23rd Street.
Officials responded Tuesday to the spill that was discovered about 8:30 a.m., continued until shortly after midnight on Thursday and was caused by a ruptured sewer force main that was slated for decommissioning in June 2020.
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Crews installed about 500 feet of temporary pipe to divert the flow of untreated wastewater from the ruptured force into a new force main. The temporary bypass allowed the authority to assess damage to the ruptured force main and make repairs.
CFPUA said its crews and contractors captured about 500,000 gallons of untreated wastewater from the spill using vacuum trucks and other methods, and returned the wastewater to its collections system.
The spill at CFPUA’s Pump Station No. 10 was reported to the North Carolina Division of Water Quality.
The authority said it would continue monitoring water quality and environmental conditions at various locations. No fish kills or dead wildlife were observed near any of its monitoring sites.
